Florida 70.3 RR

Little cabin in the woods


Awards


Some of W40-44 podium

The hardware for Queen Linda and me


I love this race. Well, it's really a love-hate relationship. I've done all but two editions of this race and they are fairly consistent. I manage to end up with the same time nearly every year, just the swim/bike/run splits change. This year, the goal was to have a solid outing. I felt I would run well, based on recent performances. I knew I wouldn't swim fast because I never do in this slow, warm lake. The bike, well, that's always a question mark for me. I felt my bike training had gone well all spring but it hasn't panned out in any races as of yet. I'm like goldilocks on a bike, don't want it wet, stormy or windy, just hot, still and sultry. Didn't get my wish. We racked the bikes Saturday afternoon after a solid thunderstorm blew through - a sure sign of the next day! AM thunderstorms are a rarity in FL so I wasn't concerned that this would return in the morning and tried not to stress over things I cannot control, like the weather. Got up early Sunday as per the usual routine and saw the radar......another bad track of storms to blow through! I was done, mentally. Done. I swore after riding in the rain at Augusta 70.3 the previous September that I'm not doing another slow, sedentary slog through the rain! I hate riding in the rain and avoid it at all cost unless caught out in it unexpectedly. After breaking my ribs last June, I'm really weary of going through any sort of thing that may land me in the same disarray! Enough of the weather report part and on to the rest. The Dane, in his perpetual optimism, is the only reason I didn't pack up my shit and leave. I didn't eat anything because my stomach was in knots, not part of my plan. We had to finish our transition prep with lightening, thunder and rain. I was mentally done. Amazing how one can come in so charged and end up so drained.....that was me. Amazingly, the sky cleared and, after only a 20 minute delay, the pro wave was off and racing, which meant 16 minutes later, so would I. Great, try and warm up and wrap the head around the race again. On to the beach and into the water we go. I had a good start and was engaged for a while but after swimming around and through the prior wave of swimmers I was just ready to be out of the water. I didn't wear a watch this time because I always get pissed about my slow swim times here. Onto the bike and the wet. The bike course was quite wet for quite awhile and in true Florida fashion, with morning storms come wind! Not my strong suit! So, the bike course is ideal for me, lots of open roadways and not a lot of hills until you factor in the wind! I am not good in strong winds! At about 100 pounds, I do not produce enough power to feel comfortable enough to power through cheeky crosswinds. I did what I could and finally got into a rhythm and pissed enough about 45 miles into the bike that I got going a bit. I channeled my inner Queen K and just tried to salvage my horrid spectacle of a bike split (my slowest at this race). Into T2 and off onto the run I had some weird hamstring twinges but tried to ignore this and go. I knew then and there, my only chance to make the podium was to run. A new thing I did this year was to wear my Garmin on the run. The Truth meter, we call it....it never lies! Some races you go through the marked mile splits wondering if they are accurate. With the Truth meter, a runner like me never has to wonder. It sync'd up nicely prior to hitting the timing mat out of T2 and off I went. And I went. I went as fast as my legs would take me. I knew a good chunk of the three loops was on uneven grass so I tried to make time up on the paved sections. We had more pavement this year than what I remember so that helped for sure. I picked off several gals in my AG and encouraged them along the way, hoping I wouldn't totally bonk and see them again! I ran like I didn't spend the past 3+ hours being totally out of my element and stressed to the max! Truth be told, I soft pedaled the bike which I saw once I saw my SRM numbers but I had faith in some part of my day, the run. I didn't give up, I gave all I had on the run. It got quite difficult on the third loop with all the other participants on course running around, between and through them (sorry guys). I ran with all I had, I didn't give up. I had hoped for a better finishing position in the end but I knew with the slow swim and bike I had, it wasn't likely to finish on the top step. So be it, I finished third in the AG and bravo to these super competitive women who braved the conditions a lot better than I! It was also my birthday which was a special feeling. I kept saying to myself on the run, what a crazy way to spend one's 44th birthday but, honestly, I wound't have it any other way! The Dane had a great day until he cramped later on the run. I ran past him and offered help but he was pretty despondent at that time. He still ended up in 8th which isn't bad, I think. Linda M, what can I say. She is the Queen and despite needing three liters of fluid in medical after the race, still won her AG by 35 minutes (which, of course, she is not happy with :). I had a very special birthday and one that I will always remember fondly, for the most part! I learned a lot about myself which is a gift! I also had a run PR for half IM run, never bad at 44! Thanks to all my family and FB friends for the well wishes, it really does mean a lot to me! The next race.....well...if I can go, may be this weekend! Stay tuned!
Cheers!

St Anthony's Tri report

Oh, the suffering!!


The Dane looks like he's won!


With Linda M, perennial St A's winner!


Happy moments at awards!! Yay!

(thanks to Laura Glover for the action photos!)
Seems it's taking me forever to get to this one, must be a reason. I raced in the Elite Amateur wave because it always leaves really early and the road (bike) isn't crowded which is usually nice. I did qualify ligit for it as well, so not a stretch. I didn't expect to light the world on fire in the overall in this division the young and fast typically dominate here! This year it was not as big a field so felt I might, on paper, be able to get a better result than in past years. That didn't happen. I had super tired legs in the days leading in and my workouts leading in were indicative of this but, as usual, I tried to ignore that. The wind really kicked up in the couple days leading up to the race, which, at this time of year, isn't that unusual. It does, unfortunately, make the water on the original swim course terribly rough. The decision was made to move and cut the swim course. Not ideal for me as, although I'm not a great swimmer, I can usually distance myself from some others in the overall course of the event. I, somehow, never really got into any sort of aggressive race mode. Not sure why but feel I must have still been quite tired. Who knows but it was the beginning of the end of my race. I also decided, stupidly, that since the swim was cut to 1000meters, I wouldn't bother with a skin suit (swim was not wetsuit legal). My swim suit is just that, a plain, lycra suit with no technical fibers or other hydro-dynamic magic. I was one of few without a swim skin, hmmmm, must be a reason. Anyway, got out of the still rough swim and was all alone, not good. The barefoot, concrete path run to T1 was fairly long which I didn't mind. Onto the bike and it took several miles until I felt safe in the aero bars with the wind whipping off the water! Once I got comfy, I did catch a couple gals and then another. Then, I was all by my lonesome for miles and miles. At times, wondered if I was still on the bike course or just riding aimlessly around St Pete! Really easy to flake out in that situation especially when the legs are disagreeing with the pain! This is the result of a bad swim - the pack has left! Still tried to push and had a little company over the last 3-4 miles so got motivated again. Off the bike, on the run, got into my goal pace right away. That lasted about a mile! Just didn't have the legs to continue the pace I wanted. In survival mode, just tried to keep pushing and not lose too much time. I did pass a few gals on the run but was so far out of it, I was just trying to stay positive. I did push as hard as my legs would allow! I think some of the cold I had previously settled into my lungs a bit and found breathing a bit tough during the run but no excuses here! Overall, good workout and I definitely need to be sure to recover for Florida 70.3 on 5/15! The Dane did win his age group which he has been chasing for years so all was not lost on the day! We had a blast during the weekend! Great to catch up with so many people! Onward.
Cheers

Racing coming fast and furious!

New look for old race bike (Di2)


Cockpit of Di2


What the wind sees of Di2


Into the heat of the early tri season now and happy to be back at it for sure! We ran a local 5K race a couple of weeks ago which was super fun and for a really good cause! Benefitted the local park system and the people really showed up! They hoped for 100 people but ended up getting over 200! This race was run over pavement (very little), grass, crushed shell path, boardwalk and soft mulch. Just the way I like it for sure! Yada, yada, yada I won overall for the women in a super fast time (sub 19 min) for the terrain so really happy about that! We actually made this a "long" run day by running to the race, racing and running home which ended up being a 10 mile day. Good day for sure.
Next up on the calendar was Escape From Fort Desoto sprint tri. This race was yesterday. I love this race! It's traditionally the first tri of the season for the locals so good chance to see where everyone's fitness is with two weeks to go until the big show at St Anthony's (in two weeks). I haven't competed in this race since '08 so was super stoked to toe the line! The Dane and I both managed to get a cold leading into this so preparations, training and sleep were not ideal for sure! Neither was breathing! I had a secret goal of winning overall (before the cold) as I've never done at this race. We all race from age group waves so it's impossible to know how your race is stacking up against the other gals in other waves so the race becomes a bit of a personal time trial swim, bike, run. The swim (1/2 mile) was the roughest conditions I've ever done at this race. It didn't look bad from the beach but it was rocking and rolling out there! Wetsuit legal so wore it for sure! I felt I had an ok swim, didn't swim all out but tried to stay controlled in the conditions. There was a ton of traffic from prior waves, bodies bobbing everywhere like the Titanic aftermath! Felt I dealt with that fairly well and didn't clobber anyone directly. Out of the water with a long run up to T1 (and a gnarly lagoon to swim through) and onto the bike (10 miles). One of my real race mantras was to be aggressive on the bike and not to lose the race on the bike. I have been doing some really hard sessions on the Computrainer so wanted to see how that was going to pan out. There was a lot of traffic again to ride around/through but felt I managed that fairly well also. I got new Shimano Di2 shifting on my P3 and boy, is it sweet!! I cannot believe how sweet the shifting is so if you see me out and about or at St Anthony's expo (in the Outspokin booth), ask me about it for sure! Anyway, the bike ride was windy as it usually is at the Fort and I really pushed the whole way not worrying about the run. I only got passed by one guy so that was pretty good for me! Into T2 and off onto the run (3.4 miles) which is out on pavement and back on beach. Went out really hard knowing I was racing gals in other waves so just tried to push myself out there. Didn't race with a watch so no idea about pace just wanted to keep it at suffer pace! Felt good about my race overall and ended up in 2nd overall for the women, first Masters finisher. Can't complain but would like to race in same wave with some of the other (younger) gals but not sure my result would have changed if I had. I will get a chance to race the stupid fast non-pro gals at St Anthony's as I'm entered in the elite amateur wave. I will get killed but still hope for a fast time and will hang on as best I can! The Dane had a good day and won his AG. Good day and great workout for sure! We did a long run today to end the weekend of training so pretty stoked and looking forward to a good, hot St Anthony's then Florida 70.3 two weeks later. Hopefully, we'll get and stay healthy to finish out the first half of the season.
Cheers

Miami Int'l Tri 5150 race report

Fun dinner with the crew (thanks L&L!)


March moon over Miami Beach, beautiful!


The Dane's new little friend!


Swordfighting the Blakester


Road trip!!


Our hotel room view of Miami, nice!


Very early in the season for a big time Olympic distance triathlon, but this one was within driving distance and potential qualifier for Hy-Vee US 5150 triathlon championship in September. My only goal was to get a qualifying spot for Hy-Vee. Not in the shape I need to be in to have bigger goals at this time of year for sure. Came off a really good running season in the winter and really just started working on the bike in February so not really setting my sights very high for this race. It was also the new 5150 series opener and wanted to be a part of what I thought would be a great event. In short, it was! The event did not disappoint! We didn't get to pre ride, run or swim the course so a lot of unknown. The mantra I always try to go back to to calm myself when I don't know what to expect is to just control the things I can and deal with the rest. Our wonderful hotel room in the host/race hotel looked down on the swim/transition (and the huge full moon) which was cool. Had an idea about the swim but no clue about currents as this was obviously a very busy channel and currents were crazy! Wetsuit legal, a gift at this time of year! Had my nice, new, ill-fitting (my fault, didn't change nose piece, duh), tinted Sable goggles but sun wasn't even up yet. Dark! Great swim start though (in water) once I spotted the first turn bouy and I was off and gone. Had some sighting issues because I had salt water in my left ill-fitting goggle and really was half blind! Had nobody else to draft off so had to just suck it up and deal with it. Current was pretty strong coming back in to the swim finish and I thought it took FOREVER! Didn't expect to be first out of the water for my wave (40+ age group females) but I'll take it! Off on the bike and found the wind was super gusty through the buildings as we rode through the high rises of downtown Miami! It was a lot of wind for me as I haven't been riding much in the past 4-5 months so I didn't feel comfy in the aero bars at all! So, rode most of the bike non-aero (and had to stop and fix a dropped chain) and my bike split showed it! Power numbers weren't bad so it was really an aero/aggressiveness issue - this can be worked on. The run course in my opinion was not a "fast" runners course due to a lot of turns and switchbacks. That said, I ran fast! I got off the bike second in my AG and knew the only way to win was to run for it. You know what they say, bike for show and run for dough! I did and it hurt. I managed to catch one of the pro women (Christine Jeffrey on her second, my first loop) and ran with her for nearly two miles (after seeing she splitted 37:17 for the 10K, I knew why I nearly crawled the last mile!). Caught the age group gal leading me at about mile 5 (can't really remember, I was really hurting) and held on for the AG win. It was extremely gratifying and unexpected to win the AG. The Dane was third which was a great result for him in a killer swim/bike combo and we both gathered our Hy-Vee slots. Very good race, venue and location. We had a blast in downtown Miami and hope to return. Always good to get the first triathlon of the season done and dusted and hopefully work out some of the little mistakes that are made along the way. Still have a lot of work to do tying it all together for St Anthony's and Florida 70.3 but feel we are heading in the right direction. As I told the Dane, last year at this time when I was still down with the hamstring injury, I never would have guessed I'd be running decent, much less faster than pre-injury. I am so grateful to be healthy and loving being back to racing. I'll keep working on the strength and hopefully things will come together in May. We have also the 25th Annual Escape From Ft Desoto sprint tri in mid-April which is always a blast. Haven't done that race in three years so it should hurt accordingly.....there are stairs involved!
And, we did get to enjoy a few days here with my brother, his wife and 2 1/2 year old which was a blast and needed vacation! Thanks for joining us here guys! Miss the Blakester already! Tell him KathyAnders love him! Cheers!

Triathlon training...harder than run training!

Ok, been absent for a bit. Trying to be a multisport athlete again. I loved my run season and had a really good go but now it's time to add the swim and the bike (God, help me here) to the running. We have MIT (Miami Int'l Tri) in two weeks which will be a swift kick in the pants for the start of the season. Usually, Chilly Willy is the benchmark prior to St Anthony's but now we've entered big time and doing MIT. That said, Chilly Willy Duathlon is the biggest duathlon in FL and MIT is only now part of the 5150 series so will likely be competitive as well. I do not like to shy away from competition. I fully expect MIT to have some fast competition but that's why I'm going. My goal is to qualify for Hy-Vee which is the "National Championship" olympic distance race later in the summer. I'm in good run shape, ok swim shape and working on the bike. I'm sure I'll be in a lot better shape than I was for the Key West Tri! Pretty regimented with the training right now. Three to four swims, four bikes and four to five runs. But, I'm mindful that my "peak" race for the first half of the year is Florida 70.3 in middle May. We rode nearly 80 in the hills yesterday which is the longest ride since Aug '09 when I tore my hammy. It was not easy and I got dropped a bunch but I'm happy with the numbers I later found on my SRM. Getting there. We did a 2 hour ride (waited for the rain to stop) followed by a 7 mile run. Ran well on super tired legs and that was the goal. We did the Belleair Sunset 5K run last Sat night which was really hard due to AM swim and ride but I managed second overall female. I wanted to get sub 19 but not quite......but close. Too tired which is why I say multisport training really is so much harder and adds so much more fatigue in general than run training. Having not raced triathlon most of 2010, I'm realizing how hard it really is on the body. You tend to forget after so much time training and racing. Will keep it going then roll into MIT untapered for the most part (I tend to race better that way) and go for that qualifier! We'll see.
Cheers

Chilly Willy Duathlon '11

Love this race! It's become the traditional start to the multisport season here on the Gulf Coast and, in recent years, has brought in a lot of really competitive athletes! This year was no different. I did not get to race last year due to injury and as a previous overall women's winner of this race, I was amped to race again. I know I'm in decent run shape but my bike fitness is really lacking as I really just started back on the bike in the past couple weeks. I've found that having missed the better part of last year with any quality riding, I've lost a lot of strength. Unfortunately, good run strength/fitness doesn't crossover to the bike very well. Oh well, it's only February and a long triathlon season awaits. This morning was chilly as usual and the wind always seems to find us at Fort Desoto! This year, due to a higher number of entrants, the race was split into two waves - under 40 went five minutes ahead of the over-40 year olds. Didn't care for the separate waves as it's hard to race for the overall when you cannot go head to head with everyone but such is life and I don't think it was a factor for me personally. The run is half on pavement, half on sand. Went out really good on the first 5K run, sub-6 minutes through the first mile and getting dropped by another gal in my wave. Whoa! Didn't dare try and speed up for fear of completely blowing up later....and, I couldn't! Just focused on my own race and got to the bike with a pretty quick first 5K in the low 19's. After a pathetically slow transition, I was off on the bike. It was windy and chilly for sure. Had a lot of traffic to ride through from the early wave and was getting passed by a bunch of guys in my wave. Really felt dead in the legs and had a hard time keeping the pace up. Ick. The ride is only 10 miles but deceptively hard after a fast 5K. Finally, off the bike and onto the second 5K and was still running good...until the last mile. I was really dying in the sand! Finished in a respectable third overall (women) and second in my age group! Good note is that I PR'd for this course. Pretty happy about that and with a few weeks of working on the bike, I should get some big improvement. We did sign up for Miami Int'l Triathlon which is 3/20/11, first race of the new 5150 series so gotta HTFU and get in shape! Goal there is just to go hard and qualify for Hy-Vee which is the 5150 US Championship later in the summer (that requires a top 10 finish in the AG). We are running a 5K next Saturday evening just for fun/speed work but I will be on my bike more in the next several weeks. The swimming is coming along - I'm not setting any records but will be where I need to be when the races start. The Dane won his AG in dominating fashion, crushing the bike to get it done. Wish osmosis worked!
Cheers

Clearwater Halfathon 2011

If it seems like we are racing every weekend, it's because, well, we are. Just about. I feel I'm making up for being off all last winter running season. Apparently, taking the better part of a year off has been extremely beneficial for me in a lot of ways. First, I likely needed the rest - apparently, I cannot handle an Ironman every year, at least, not for long. I'm not known as being durable! Second, I now realize what training I can handle and and the need to listen to my body (shouldn't be a revelation but...). I am training by feel now with very little structure. We started focusing on the running for December with this half marathon being the end of the focus and it was really good. Very cold morning (for us) in the mid-30's with wind chill colder than that and I definitely under dressed! Sort of forgot how long you are out there during a half marathon! I haven't run a half since this race three years ago! After last week's sub-40 10K, I knew I was in pretty good run shape. Wasn't really sure about the endurance as we haven't done very many long runs to get in a good 13.1 mile result. That's where I really struggled today. The course is deceptively difficult (for Florida) with 4 x bridge climbs/descents. I really struggled to hang on to the Dane in the headwind section and managed to get a little draft heading north up the beach which was really helpful (I did have to run hard to catch him prior to that section!). I was sitting in forth until heading up the last bridge when I was dying and couldn't follow, just surviving! I finished just after the Dane - he made up the 12 seconds I got on him last weekend! Went sub-1:28 which is closest to my PR (from nearly 20 years ago) than I've been in a really long time! I won Masters and the Dane won Grand Masters. Very happy, very tired and will be very sore! Time to get on the bike and get in multisport shape. As much as I'd like to keep running/racing, pushing the run speed, I am a triathlete and am hoping to be able to run faster this year off the bike. Next race is Chilly Willy duathlon in three weeks. Can I get in bike shape in three weeks? Yikes! Should be interesting.....
Cheers

The Sub-40

Honeymoon Island Adventure Run

Also known as the St Pete Beach Classic 10K race report. This race has a big place in our hearts. I won't go into great detail but Wendy and Al Johnson began this race back in 2004 (I think) and Wendy died from metastatic melanoma and the race went on hiatus last year, for obvious reasons. The race was re-introduced this year and was certain to be on my calendar. I didn't know Wendy as well as most, but what I knew was a women with a lot of vision and a huge heart. She has been missed by a lot of people and still is. We were so grateful that this wonderful event made a comeback! The course is a fast, flat one, suitable for a fast time. The Dane highlighted this race to go sub-40 several weeks ago. He was doing all the workouts needed for a sub-40 finish and was nailing them all. Me, well, I just kept running. I did do the tempo runs (which I think are gold) but didn't do the interval work as this is usually injury bait for me. I like to use races as hard workouts because, well, they are! The race last Sunday was very hard because it was off-road and I was a bit sore but MY goal race to end the winter run block is next weekend's half marathon. I pretty much trained through this past week but did lower mileage to not be totally trashed in the legs. Got up Saturday morning and my legs feel tired and pretty terrible. Oh well, I think, this isn't my goal race, just a good, hard workout. The weather was perfect, a little cool and breezy but nice. Went out way too fast but felt pretty good. The Dane went up the road as he was trying to tack on to the front pack but they proved to be too fast for us so he, and I, ended up in no man's land. Not good. I did get another guy to run with, bridged up to the Dane and decided I could handle this pace. Could I go sub-40? No way, I thought. But, I was going to hang on as long as I can. Nearing the 5K mark, I could feel the pace slacking slightly so went in front and tried to drive it. I did gap the Dane a bit but felt he would catch back up to me. Decided I was gonna go for it. Yada, yada I really suffered the last 2 miles but I came in 39:40 and was 4th overall woman and won Masters. The Dane also broke 40 so it was a really successful day! I tried to look back at the last time I broke 40 minutes for the 10K and I cannot find anything. It is way off my PR but that PR was when I was 22 years old! I realize now that I just don't run a lot of 10K's! They are hard. One more running race to finish the winter run block (except may do Gasparilla 15K end of Feb) which is next Sunday, Clearwater Halfathon (half marathon). Started back swimming and cycling now and hard to fit it all in. I realize that run fitness doesn't cross over to bike or swim fitness!! I am super grateful to be healthy and running full gas right now. Hoping I can translate this to triathlon later in the spring!! We'll see....
Cheers

Honeymoon Island Adventure run

Beautiful sky building for a wonderful day

January is a hot month, not on the thermometer but on the event calendar. Wouldn't have it any other way. Started this morning with the Kiwanis Honeymoon Island adventure run. I've lived here in this area for nearly 14 years but have never been to the rustic, natural Florida park of Honeymoon Island. Beautiful and kicking myself for never having been here before. Oh well, went today for this 5 mile "adventure" run. The adventure was that it was all off-road, trails, deep sand, rocks, roots, wind and cold. I love this stuff! And, the flyer said "no sissies". Right up my alley! We truly trained through this one as the next two races are going to be peak run races for the winter. Started back in the pool this week (not pretty) and back doing hard trainer rides during the week so not exactly tapered for this one. I did skip the tempo run this week, figured this race would fit the bill! It did. It was chilly in the mid 40's (yes, chilly for us) and windy when we arrived. Yada, yada, yada, won overall for the women in a reasonably large field (pure runners stay away from this type of course, it's NOT a fast course) and 8th overall. The Dane was 7th overall and I couldn't catch him in the end but tried anyway. Mostly, it was fun and a great workout and will definitely be on my calendar next year! Saw a bunch of folks that we know and had some post-race hydration thanks to Fred (aka best race director in the world!). So, continue with multisport training, racing 10K next weekend then 1/2 marathon the following week. Solid and, hopefully, will drop us into tri season with good run base. I feel good about it and happy to be healthy again.
Cheers.

New year, new (old) me

I am very thankful for the healing that has occurred in my body in the past 6 months. I have managed a big run focus in training in the last 3-4 months which is remarkable considering the injury I had and the deep mental ditch I was in a year ago from now. Last winter truly sucked and I began to feel I'd never run again, much less without pain. I continued to have hamstring awareness into late spring and really didn't have any momentum going into the summer. Then, I smashed three ribs. And, I stopped......everything physical. Had to, it was the most painful injury I've ever had. Hurt to do anything. So, I did nothing and this really helped my hamstring. I can honestly say that I started jogging with the broken ribs and haven't had to look back since. I ran my first 5K in a couple years in early November then ran more races after that and placed in all of them, crazy! I ran my biggest mileage this week that I have in several years (cannot recall so much in Ironman training even). Granted, I'm not the kind who can tolerate a lot of mileage so high to me is chump change to another but it is all relative. And, no, there is no Ironman in my future for now, not until I'm mentally ready. We went back to ride in the hills yesterday, first time since August '09 and boy, did it feel that way. In letting my hammy heal, I've really had to back off the cycling and I am really out of shape on the bike. But, I'm healthy and can certainly work on this! We have a hot January race schedule with Honeymoon Island adventure run next weekend, St Pete Beach Classic 10K the week after then Clearwater Halfathon (half marathon) to round out the month. Should be interesting and my focus is on the half marathon as I have left some suboptimal races on that course. Will be getting fully into multisport season in February with Chilly Willy duathlon as the focus. Bottom line is I'm healthy and excited that I can plan a season and train accordingly. I have a long way to go but going with a head of steam for sure. So, cheers to a healthy, active and successful 2011! I'm psyched!

Last race for 2010......report

Not really a race report, just an affirmation of my pleasure to be healed, healthy and racing! I missed some things more than others during my injury hiatus from August '09 thru September '10. One thing, biggest thing I missed is racing. I'm not one of those people that loves training and hates racing. I love racing, measuring myself against the other girls and, most of all, pushing myself to the limit. I love it. I also really missed the long runs. Not the 2.5 hour, ironman slow-mo runs, but the 10-13 mile runs where you can push the pace and still walk afterwards. I have crammed in as much racing as possible since late September (three triathlons, four road races) and I am happy to say, I've come out the other side in better shape, happier and healthy. Whew! The last race on Saturday was the Say No To Drugs 10K. No pressure, much harder course than the Turkey Trot 10K on Thanksgiving morning. I had a huge, for me, run mileage week after Key West Tri (44 run miles - normal Ironman run mileage for me) and had to take a couple days off as I just wasn't recovering well. One more 10K, just get through it. The course was quite difficult and I didn't have time goals, just wanted to be competitive. Turns out, I wasn't very competitive, the top 4 girls were way ahead of me so I had to race the guys around me. I ended up fifth overall, on the podium with really good pure runners, no shame. Ran nearly the exact same time as Turkey Trot on a harder course so I feel that the fitness is coming around. I need some general base mileage and will focus on that until the next planned race, St Pete Beach Classic 10K in mid January and Clearwater Halfathon (half marathon) one week later. We will get back into multisport training in January with guns blazing and full motivation. Make up year, lots of racing ahead. Merry Christmas to all and Happy 2011, looking forward!
Cheers

Key West Tri report

Our little beachside home in KW


Masterminds figuring out the bikes!


Guess what place we ended up in the household standings?


Where better to have a triathlon in December? I cannot think of anywhere (outside of Hawaii, of course). I had never been to KW even though I've called Florida home for 13.5 years. Crazy, I know. This was my excuse to go. Why I needed a race, who knows, that's just me. I gathered a few close friends for the occasion and had them sign up and the road trip was getting planned. Training, however, was not. It's December after all! My tri bike was collecting dust and we were lucky to average 2-3 swims per week. It's running season in FL so, luckily, we were doing some running. I had done two 5K's and a 10K leading up to this. I did, however, forget how bloody hard an Olympic distance tri was, as I hadn't done one since St Anthony's in '09. Peg the meter to the red line and beyond and hold on! Yeah, in my head that's how to race it, in my heart and body on this occasion, no go! So, road trip mates changed in the days leading up to the race as L&L had to stay home which was a bummer but we joined Mary D and made the long drive to KW. Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's really a beautiful drive once you hit the Keys. The weather was perfect and we were eager for warm temps and good times. Got to KW around 4pm or so and settled in, cooked dinner and enjoyed our little home for the weekend. We came pretty prepared for the kitchen with the Dane as our chef. Saturday am got up early did a bike ride to Mallory Square and a run along the swim course (which, from the sea wall, didn't look nearly deep enough to swim in!). Got through registration and the expo, a little pool time then off to Duval Street to check out KW proper. Our condo/hotel was next to race site which was at the north end of KW. We spent a little time walking around then landed in a proper watering hole next to Sloppy Joes and enjoyed a few beers. Hit fish monger on the way home then great meal from chef Dane and hit bed kind of early. Up early on race morning to rack bikes and get situated. Nice morning with cool but not cold temps and some breeze, perfect. Took trolley the mile over to swim start which was easy as pie. The swim was a straight shot, point to point along the sea wall in a very narrow channel. If you got over too far left or right, you were fighting with sea grass and rocks. Didn't need bouys (though I would have liked a few), just follow the "deepest" water. Water was surprisingly cold, thank goodness for my rocking Orca wettie! I was in the first wave of females who went after the last wave of men and there weren't a lot of us. It was great, no beating, hitting, swallowing water! My kind of swim! I lacked a bit of fitness towards the end (which was all of 1.5K or MORE) but got out of the water first. Longish run around to T1 which was situated in parking garage of the host hotel, different but it worked. I was into T1 first but out in second (from a girl in the wave behind me, ouch). Onto the bike, I knew this was going to be ugly as we haven't done anything but tool around since Augusta 70.3. The wind was definitely picking up and I felt it. The bike was uneventful and I tried to keep pushing and knew this was going to kill my run! Got passed by another gal late on the ride and tried like Hell to hang on but she got a good gap on me going into T2. Out of T2 my legs were total spaghetti! Just tried to hold position and not have anyone else pass me! The run was an out and back on wide sidewalk along the Atlantic Ocean, beautiful. Breezy run but not too hot at all. Felt a little better at the turn around so tried to up the pace which I dearly paid for in the last mile! I did pretty much even split the run which was a little goal of mine. I was racing ghosts as the younger gals went off in a different wave. Was hoping for third overall but ended up fourth but won Masters so that was very gratifying. Had no expectations other than having fun and one more multisport race as I started the season so late. The great thing is, no injuries, no niggles, just a little soreness in my calves which is normal. Our group had a great day as the Dane won his AG and was third Masters (they haven't corrected the official results) and Mary D was third in her AG. We hung around afterwards, collected our hardware and had some well deserved beers. Unfortunately, we were so tired, we ended up hitting the sack before 8pm. Oh well, we're old after all! Long drive home and now planning 2011 with realistic expectations! I won't really hit the bike before Jan as I plan to hit it hard and want to work on my run for December. Will swim throughout as I cannot afford not to! We have a 10K 12/18 then no racing until Jan unless something pops up. Feel very motivated and happy to be healthy. We will be back to this race for sure! Well done and super fun and very low key, KW style! Cheers.

Busy run race week

I had some lofty goals coming into this week, running wise. Considering that I have taken most of the past year off running due to injury, it was moderately lofty. I do, however, have a zero tolerance policy now for aches and pains that don't seem to just go away on their own. So, other than a couple bridge repeats, the run training has been just running, no real structure. Just trying to build back a base that I managed to lose throughout the past year. Feeling healthy enough to toe the starting line now makes me very happy. Knowing that I haven't done any real speed training, well, so what. I usually consider these races my speed work. So, did the Women's Magazine 5K on Sunday, Turkey Trot 10K on Thursday and the Autumn Fest 5K on Saturday evening. Sounded like a lot and ended up being quite fun. I did better than I expected last in last Sunday's 5K but was most proud that I competed well. I did have quite a bit of soreness afterwards so was real careful about running leading up to Turkey Trot. My left (good) hammy soreness lingered the most but it wasn't a factor come Thursday morning. It was quite warm the morning of the 10K, probably the warmest I've done on that day. I like warm! I did suffer a bit and felt the lack of specific training and tempo runs but still finished top 10 for the women and won Masters. Total shock and not expected because I didn't run all that fast (41:50). I ran much faster the last time (2 yrs ago) I won Masters but then again, it was quite warm. All the times were a little slower, I thought. Going into Autumn Fest on Saturday night, I expected to feel horrible. I wasn't sore after the 10K which is surprising so that was a huge positive. Saturday morning, we swam for an hour then biked for nearly two hours which was a bit tiring. Sitting on the couch for most of the day was the key! The weather was perfect for a race, nice and cool but not cold like last year (spectated, sucked). Only goal going into this last race of the week was to finish! The finish line reward was beer, a great reason to do this race! Free mug/beer for the first 50 males/females! It was dark too with a start at 6PM which was weird. I had a great run, had the Dane just ahead of me the entire way which really helped me keep pushing. Couldn't catch him though, he paced it well! I came through in 19:17 and second place female. Take my mug and get some beer, good beer too. Great day. Haven't gone that fast in several years and proof that racing frequently can replace speed work! The best part is that nothing hurts. My hammy has survived this week of racing and I really don't even think about it any longer. We have the Key West Tri next weekend which is really just a fun race and I can't wait. Then two weeks until the next race, will be nice! Many pics and memories to come out of Key West, I'm sure!
Cheers!

Women's Running Mag 5K race report

Decided to give this race a go earlier in the week as a "warm up" for Turkey Trot. We actually worked the Mad Dog Triathlon Club water stop for this race last year and it was a hoot! I was injured then and on a long journey to healthy running that would be a lot longer than I thought! I was inspired none the less. This year, we have had Turkey Trot 10K on the calendar for a while, it's an annual ritual here (unless injured or out of town) but wanted to blow out the pipes ahead of time, if possible. The Women's Running Half Marathon was a bit much for me but the 5K was just the ticket. Decided mid-week to jump in and take the pain that only an open 5K race can give! And, most of all, I feel healthy enough to just let it all hang and run as hard as I can. Granted, there hasn't been any specific training for this, just running. No interval training, a little bridge work and some longer, slower runs but no track work to speak of. I did do a few 800's this week just for a little turnover work but felt it was too soon to do this even. Got down to St Pete early this morning (after Mad Dog party yesterday where I likely consumed too many beers) and it was a beautiful morning. There were a reported 7000 women (mostly) in the half marathon and 1,200 in the 5K, so, a lot of people roaming around. I had no time goals as this was my first 5k in nearly two years. I wanted to give it to myself and just go hard. Spotted a couple ringers and knew my race was for scraps and training. The Dane was out scouting and being support crew and was awesome on his job! We stood around in the corral forever it seemed so we were all faced with starting a 5K from a resting heart rate......not fun! Got out hard and it sorted out a bit before the first mile with Jackie W killing the field and the rest of us racing for second. I felt like a runner again though, not just a triathlete! The rest of the way until less than a mile to go was myself and two other athletes. I pushed really hard and made a move with less than a mile to go and got a gap on the other two ladies and it HURT! I haven't done this for nearly two years and the pain and suffering is immense! It's easy to talk about what you think you can do but to get into the competitive situation and HAVE to go, another subject! I'm happy that I haven't lost my competitive edge. The finish is a long, straight stretch that can be seen for about 200 meters. I was in a death match and was leading (for second) and didn't want to lose. I had a bit of kick at the end and held on for second when I could have easily been fourth! I'm much happier being second! The time was secondary to the effort as far as I'm concerned although I'm not ashamed with a 20:22 with no real training! I am most happy that I'm back, healthy and can give my all in these sort of races. I want to thank Val from Outspokin who is my awesome sponsor!
Cheers

IM 70.3 World Championships spectator report

Another beautiful day in paradise!



This cat can run!!



Well......after party with Movember


Last year's winner and great gal, Julie D


(The Dane is in full Movember swing....http://us.movember.com/get-involved/)
I wish we had this race here for the rest of my life! It is so much fun to have the eyes of the triathlon world on Clearwater Beach. We've been blessed with this race here at home for the past five years and the weather has never been an issue. Ok, they moved the swim to the intracoastal last year but it could have been done in the Gulf. The race moves on to a new venue and time of year in '11 and I, for one, am no longer interested. Yeah, I am not a factor in the overall race or AG for that matter (though, I have been top 10), so my opinion is a sampling of one and likely nobody really cares. But, thankfully for us, a new race will blossom here next year on this same sacred weekend, 5i50! Yippee! In '11 the race plan is short and fast anyway so 5i50 will be great way to top off the racing year. (I am not misspelling, this, the "i" is included in the marketing material I've seen). So, if you want to go 70.3 World Championships in the summer, in the desert, miles from any real water, good for you. It's not for me. I know the folks from Ironman have needed to change some things with the 70.3 World Championship race so I understand it all but I don't think that the scenery can get much better than Clearwater Beach. I am speaking from a spectator's standpoint. We, as locals, even booked a room in the hotel by the finish line just to be near the action. We are likely to do the same for the 5i50 next year.
So, onto race weekend. Our great friend, Linda, was defending her title in her AG this year. We did some of her key long run sessions with her and she nailed them just like last year. She didn't have the day she wanted and ended up second this year but I thought she showed a great deal of grit to stick in there when she knew she wasn't going well on the day. We aren't pro's and nobody but us cares if we finish, do well, or quit on the day so sticking in there and making the best of the day is tough. We were a bit sad not to be racing but we didn't qualify and that's life. I was so happy to cheer on folks I know (and some I don't) and not be injured! I missed this race last year due to torn hammy and really felt down about it. I feel good now and am motivated to move on with getting fit for next season. There really is no off-season here, we are just starting running season so I plan to run myself into shape a bit! Turkey Trot, Autumn Fest 5k, Key West Tri, Say No To Drugs 10K is plan for the next 5 weeks. Whew! Tired just typing all of that. We will miss "our" 70.3 race here next year but will start a new tradition in "our" beautiful part of the globe. Come join us!
Cheers

No half marathon

Last week was really good training with most run mileage since August of '09 so we felt the half marathon was definitely going to be good. That is, until my right calf decided to be so incredibly sore that I couldn't run all this week. My cut-off for a Sunday race is being able to run by Friday prior and I couldn't, leg still too sore. Not really sure where it came from but the Dane was being very sweet and "massaged" my calves on Tuesday and woke up with super sore leg on Wednesday. Who knows. Sometimes you can go to bed healthy and wake up injured (thanks, Linda). So, no racing this weekend but we did get out for an 8 mile run Sunday morning in the unusually cool weather which was nice. Plan is to get some good runs in this week and be healthy for Turkey Trot 10K then Autumn Fest 5K the Saturday after. Built in speed work! I'm loving being healthy! Was tempted to sign up for IM Florida 2011 today but then I wised up and decided it wouldn't be the smartest decision. Plan for 2011 racing is short, fast and build speed. Long in 2012 is more likely. Staying healthy is the key to it all!
Cheers.

"Fall" paddle festival

My turn!

Big start of costume relay


My team!


"Fall" in quotes because we've had near-record heat here in the Tampa Bay area....and I love it! The paddle festival was in the calendar for me as my second attempt at an SUP race. That is, until we got up and did a bike ride earlier in the morning on Saturday. Woke up to 10-20mph winds which made riding a chore and I promptly pulled the pin on the "fun" race for the weekend. Mostly because I can't afford to miss a week of swimming for a "fun" race. We went to cheer on friends who were doing their first SUP race. Ended up, they modified the course and didn't go off-shore but, it was fun to spectate. I still remember how sore I was after the last (only) SUP race and felt I couldn't afford a week out of the pool! After all, we have one more triathlon left this season, Key West Tri in December. I did, however, get "recruited" to do the costume relay with guys I've never met. This, my friends, was FUN! Imagine......10 or so teams of SUP riders going 100meters out and back. Teams were 3-4 people (ours was 3). One comes in, runs around a flag on the beach, hands off the paddle to the next paddler and off they go (assuming the other teammate turned the board around in time). Total mayhem but maximum fun! I'll let the photos tell the story. FUN.
We have trail half marathon next weekend, part of the Xterra trail series. Should be fun, I luv running trails!
Cheers.

Suncoast Sprint Tri 2010

I will preface this by noting that this is, for stupid reasons, my first sprint tri in over 2 years! Yeah, I have bashed myself enough about why I haven't done a sprint in so long, so hold your opinions.
Onward. So, Augusta 70.3 took me at least 10 days to recover from.....formerly, unheard of! Either my age or my lack of fitness. Probably both. Wow. But, I'm a triathlete again and that is the best thing. We signed up for Suncoast prior to Augusta because it's local and I've never actually done this race. Duh. (usually doing some Ironman somewhere). These races are so fun because, first of all, we have the best, truly, race director locally and you can always count on a high quality product. It didn't go unnoticed that there are two other races going on in the state this weekend but Suncoast got the biggest field. Most competitive too, if you ask me. But, I digress. So, no specific workouts for this, just keep running, swimming and some cycling. I had no goals for this race. A sprint for me is just a good, quality workout and whatever the results show in the end is pretty much where you are at the time. I have been swimming but not nearly where I was prior to breaking the ribs. I have been running but just trying to get some weekly mileage in, nothing fast for sure. I have been riding but only with more motivation since getting spanked at Augusta on the bike. The beauty of a sprint tri is, if you go ALL OUT, you can get a good fitness boost. That's MY goal.
To the race. We had a beautiful day to race. Windy but warm, heck, it's always windy at the Fort! Swim (600M) was wetsuit legal, thank God! My Orca wettie is the bomb and I was happy to wear it again! Didn't have a great start but with the sand bar half way to the first bouy, didn't want to gas myself in running over that and be done. Once around the turn buoy, got into rhythm and tried to hammer best I could. Got around Jen H, who had an awesome start, and tried to just go all out. Got a bit tired towards the end but tried to keep the arm turnover going and out of the water I ran like Hell! I love that I can actually run like Hell again! After a year off, it means the world to me. On the bike (10 miles), the wind killed me and my power was weak but I tried as hard as I could. Jen passed me half way through but I tried to stay focused not to let her get too far away. She is a very strong rider and I had to try and keep her in sight at least. Into T2, the Dane (who started in the wave behind me) is yelling at me to keep going. Nice motivation for me! I didn't have the best transitions, never do, but tried to get out ahead of the Dane! I did and off I went like I stole something! The first half of the 5K run is in the sand which is not fun on the legs! Had a lot of traffic to run through on the beach trails but felt like I was flying! I was not in any shape to run the pace I was going but that's what a sprint is all about. Go all out! My legs were total spaghetti once I hit the pavement but I wasn't going to slow down unless I collapsed! I still had the Dane behind me too but I was so deep into the pain cave, I forgot about him! I finished without anyone passing my on the run and no niggles or pains. To me, right now, this is huge. I've been injured for so long I almost expect something to hurt at the end of the day but I didn't have that. Happy! More happiness is winning Masters and, I think, 4th or 5th overall. I'm not great at grazing race results, so, if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me!
We had a great post-race with friends at the annual Stone Crab fest and that was super fun.
I'm proud of the Dane who "redeemed" himself from a cramping bad day at Augusta with winning the AG and was second Masters (at 50....hellooo). And the crazy thing is, we both pretty much won it in the swim. Hmmmmm. Guess I won't take a swim break this winter! Bring on Key West Tri in 6 weeks!
Cheers!

IM Kona weekend, always an inspiration!

Kona has come and gone, never without inspiration. I am inspired about my friend Lisbeth Kenyon who not only ruled the 45-49 AG (aged up, thank God), but did it in record time! She is truly a great athlete and nice gal! Good on ya!!
With Chrissie Wellington out of the race, Mirinda C. won in style with a great run - inspiration for all us "runner" triathletes! Most inspired by her swim though, gotta say. Guess I'll be swimming all winter!
We have finally recovered from Augusta 70.3 (don't think it's ever taken me so long)! So, back to running, biking, swimming and some SUP with the great weather. The plan from here is as follows (but can be changed at a moments notice):
10/23: suncoast tri
10/30: fall festival SUP race
11/7: wildhorse trail run 1/2 marathon (Xterra run series qualifier)
11/25: turkey trot (prob 10K)
11/27: autumnfest 5K
12/5: best of all.....Key West Triathlon
Key West is a new race and, since I've never been there, seemed like the right thing to do since my "season" is just beginning! The Xterra race is the first in a series of three races to qualify for nationals in Bend, OR then Worlds in Maui (you know I love me some Maui). This is not in ink, just in pencil provided the body holds up.
Cheers.

IM Augusta 70.3 report, the comeback

Out in Augusta

Goofing off pre-race


Well, it wasn't pretty, but I got it done. My first race since May '09. I'm relieved and healthy, most importantly. The past year has been a real test for me. The hamstring tear took extra long to heal because I can't sit, do nothing and just heal. I managed to re-injure it in February which was a setback. I think we signed up for Augusta in April or so, feeling this would be enough time for me to get some run miles in so I could actually run 13.1 miles. This was going pretty well until I broke the ribs the end of June at which point, I thought there was no way I would be able to participate in this race so I just wrote it off mentally. Obviously, I rallied and got to race Sunday. Drove up with L&L (great travel mates) which was uneventful. The entire trip was uneventful basically which made things stress-free. The stress began when we saw on Weather Channel 90% chance of rain on Sunday. I hate riding my bike in the rain and have basically avoided riding in the rain the past year because I didn't see the point. But, 90% turned into 100% on race morning so had to deal with that (on top of being significantly undertrained). The organization of the race was superb, I thought. They shortened the time between wave starts to get folks out on course due to chance for thunderstorms. The swim was great, down river + wetsuit = swim PR! I was 6th out of the water which was a shocker due to all the swimming I missed with the ribs! My Orca wettie rocked! Steep, longish run from the river to T1 got the old heart going then off onto the bike. Wet, wet, wet is how I will describe the bike. I actually liked the course but the narrow country roads combined with compressed wave starts made it extremely crowded. I had a lot of issues with being very nervous on the wet pavement with a lot of newbies. My handlebars were quite slick too so I had the death grip much of the time, especially on long downhills. I didn't ride hard which was my goal as I wanted to be able to run 13.1 miles which I haven't done in over a year! I had a ton of gals in my AG pass me on the bike but I kept to my plan. I have not been riding very much and it surely showed with a new personal worst bike split! No worries, this is a comeback effort with the only goal being to get through it healthy. I was very glad to get off the wet bike and on to the flat 2-loop run course. Felt quite good starting out the run but really had to pace it if I was going to finish this running vs walking. The run went very smoothly and I kept the pace pretty steady until the wheels started to fall off (or my fitness ran out as Lynn said) around mile 8. Whew, 5 more miles pretty deep in the suffer cave was not exactly fun but there were tons of spectators and that really helped. Even suffering as much as I did those last miles, I relished being back out there and getting every last bit of energy out of my body - it's why I love to race, after all. I really didn't have any other issues other than lack of fitness. My stomach held up, equipment was fine, Splish suit was comfy (and cute). I didn't forget anything which is a shocker being out for so long. It certainly helped having Linda and the Dane along to cue off of! The Dane had a great race until he cramped on the run but he finished anyway and I'm proud of him. We are trying to figure out this cramping issue he is having. Linda, what can I say, she is truly a legend and wins her AG again. She has had her share if problems the past 6+ months as well with a hamstring injury and this was her first race since Clearwater 70.3 Worlds but she didn't miss a beat. The positives I take out are decent swim and run and that I remained healthy. I certainly need to ride more and I can be back at the pointy end of the AG for next season. Thanks for all the positive vibes from my friends and family, it certainly helped me along the way!
Cheers