Metroplex Sprint Tri Race Report

Jake was going to be in Vegas and the kids at the lakehouse, so I decided last minute to register for the Metroplex Sprint Tri. I got up at 3:30am so I could leave around 4 for Joe Pool Lake. I got there a little after 5, before transition opened, before the park even opened. The RD was still setting up cones for the run course. I parked, then walked a little ways (maybe a half mile?) to the transition area where I was able to score an end spot. I was intimidated hanging out in transition because there were a lot more nice road bikes and tri bikes than the racks at My First Tri last weekend. I picked up my pink swim cap since they'd run out of my color at packet pick up, then stared down the swim course in an effort to make it shorter walked around a little to calm my nerves. It was a little strange to be completely alone at a race, I've never done that.

My age group was the first wave and waves were only 3 minutes apart. It was windy and the water was rough. I settled into the swim pretty quickly and really felt pretty good. At 400 meters, it was the longest swim I've ever done (including practice). I think I switched to breaststroke twice, just to recover from being kicked. I was actually a little surprised that my swim time was so long/pace slower than last weekend. It felt better! I must have been off course or something.

I ran into T1. I felt like my time there was a little long. At this race we had to wear our race bib on the bike and I fumbled a bit getting my belt on. I liked wearing it just on the run last weekend because I could put on the belt as I was running out of T2 vs having to put it on while standing still at the bike racks. I saw somebody else who wore the belt with the bib tucked under their top during the swim and she just pulled it out as she ran into T1. Seems like a good time saver and I'll try that in the future.

I didn't pass much at all during the bike. I got passed by some really fast women and men who started in waves after me. There was a hill leading up to the dam, which was really windy, and another at the other end of the dam where we turned around to head for home. I got passed just before the turnaround, but I made up my mind to pass her going down the hill. The wind was beating me up and I was working hard to get the speed that I did. I was hoping for faster, though.

I felt like my T2 time was good. I can't think of anything specific I could have done to be faster.

I was maybe a quarter mile into the run when the female overall winner passed me, coming into the finish line. Amazingly fast! Not wearing my Garmin and knowing my pace/distance really bothers me but it's probably for the best. I have a tendency to tell myself I can't run "that fast" or I can walk when I get to "x" distance on the watch. Without it, I just have to keep going. I played mental games with myself and kept thinking that if I walked or slowed down, I'd be giving up my spot in age group placings. I had know idea where I stood in my age group at this point, it was just a game. Everytime I'd hear heavy breathing behind me, I'd pray it was a man so I didn't have to worry about my placing. If it was a woman, I looked at her calf. Nobody in my AG passed me on the run. I got a little mental boost by passing a guy toward the end and it helped when he told me good job. I passed another two guys in the very last tenth or so and sprinted it out to pass a girl who paced just ahead of me for the entire run. She wasn't in my age group, though.

I grabbed a snack and talked to a couple girls from my age group. One was the overall winner who I saw as I started my run (so she actually bumped all of us a place higher since she was no longer part of the AG standings) and another girl who won third in our AG. As we chatted, we put together the standings, and figured out I was second in AG! The overall winner is an Ironman and we talked about big races. I may volunteer for 70.3 in Austin on October 28th. That may be just the inspiration I need to train for one next year.

Swim 400 meters: 10:46 (2:42/100 meters) 3rd of 6 in AG, 61 of 106 overall
T1: 1:39 3rd of 6 in AG
Bike 11 miles: 34:25 (19.2mph) 2nd of 6 in AG, 58 of 106 overall
T2: :35 1st of 6 in AG
Run 2 miles: 18:09 (9:05/mile) 3rd of 6 in AG, 64 of 106 overall

I was 15th of 37 women and 2nd in my age group. Good race!

Playtri Festival: My First Tri Race Report

After the race

I've been a lousy blogger. Please forgive me, I will do better.

Today was my first triathlon! I bought my bike 6 or 7 weeks ago. I swam my first lap in the pool 5 or 6 weeks ago. Training was minimal, to say the least, but this is how the day played out...

I met up with Charlene and Joanne at the hotel/race site last night. We made a last minute trip to Sports Authority in search of items we forgot, then had dinner before returning to the hotel. We sat on the back deck of the hotel, overlooking the lake before going to bed fairly early. The alarm went off at 5:15, when we quickly got dressed and went downstairs to set up transition. I was able to get the end spot on my bike rack- first good thing of the day. Then we went upstairs to get dressed for the race and have breakfast. My mom and the kids arrived just as the International distance was starting. I showed them where I would be and when so they could try to see me doing each sport. The first thing my daughter said when she saw me was, "Mom, I REALLY like your tattoos." I can't blame her. So did I. By 8:15 or so it was time to say goodbye to them and join everyone for the pre-race briefing by the water.

All of the "My First Tri" participants in the early part of the swim

I was nervous, so I just reminded myself to concentrate on form as if I was in the pool and not rush. We hopped in the water and after a few minutes we were off! I struggled some in the first 100-200 meters because arms and legs were everywhere. I'd get hit, take a second to regroup, and start swimming again. By the final 100 meters or so, I was in my groove, not tired, and felt like I could easily keep going. I climbed out of the water and ran to my bike. I put on socks, bike shoes, sunglasses, and my helmet before running to the mount line.

I think this is me, dead center in the pic, breathing to my right with tinted/mirrored goggles

It felt good to get on the bike and fly. I really, REALLY, loved the bike. I'd set my sights on somebody ahead and think, "You beat me out of the water but you're mine now" and then I'd pass. I passed quite a few people while going up hills. I don't like hills so much while running, but I love rolling hills on the bike. Joanne called out my name as we passed each other on the bike. I totally posed for a photographer toward the end of the bike- I saw her ahead, so I dropped down on my aero bars and gave it my best "I'm hardcore" look. LOL, and dorky. But I hope the pic turns out cool. ;-) Right after that I heard my kids yelling "go mommy" as I came off the bike and into transition again. At this point I noticed there were no more than 5 bikes on the racks in the area for my race and realized I must be doing pretty well. I changed shoes, ditched my helmet/bike, and grabbed my running belt and visor to put on as I ran.

Very end of the bike

My legs felt good, but it really bothered me to not wear my Garmin. I desperately wanted to know the distance and pace. I didn't deserve to have a good time on the run. I've literally run twice since the marathon. I just knew I could run 2 miles and focused on the newer things. I was tired during the run, and I hate it, but I walked very briefly (10 seconds, tops) twice in the second mile. Just before the turn into the final straightaway, I saw Libby and she took a picture of me. If only she would have known to yell, "GO, KRISTI! You're about to be passed by the girl who will beat you by 2 seconds and win the race." Yeah, she didn't know and I didn't know. But that girls is *right* behind me in the picture. She had people yelling at her on the sideline to pass me. I tried to catch her. I just didn't have enough sprint left in me to get her. She beat me by 2 seconds, finishing first overall. She was a strong enough runner to beat me in the run and close the gap that I had on her in every other area- the swim, T1, the bike, and T2. But, I cannot be disappointed. I'm thrilled. I had fun and I am in love with the triathlon.

As of right now, my next tri (a sprint) is 7 weeks away. I'm not sure I can wait that long, but that gives me a lot of time to train seriously. I know exactly what to work on and what kind of goals to set. I'm so excited to have a fresh new goal.

Swim:
14th of 77 (women and men), 7th of 41 (women only)
300 meters in 6:40, pace of 2:13/100
*better time than I thought I could do, thrilled with placing

T1:
1:29
*fastest time of all the women, and only the male winner beat me

Bike:
13th of 77 (women and men), 1st of 41 (women only)
12 miles in 40:39, pace of 17.7mph
*first out of the women, 'nuff said... THRILLED!

T2:
1:16
*fastest time of all the women, only the male winner beat me and 2nd place man tied me

Run:
16th of 77 (women and men), 4th of 41 (women only)
2 miles in 18:37, pace of 9:19
*better than I thought I could do, but very motivated to do speed work now

Motivation To Run, Workout, Eat Well...

Motivation. It's so freaking hard. But it's hard for everybody, right? I can't speak for everyone else, but it's hard for me to eat right and workout most days. Sometimes friends, family, and coworkers comment on my dedication to diet and exercise. I usually brush off the comments, because I'm no superhero. I don't workout on days I work and often take days off for no other reason than "I just don't feel like working out today". I eat bad foods when I'm busy, stressed, had a good day, or had a bad day.

But I've had some success. I've become a runner over the past year and a half. I'm expanding my training to cycling and swimming. I don't call it exercise. EXERCISE just seems so infinite, like I'll never be done. I prefer TRAINING. I train for a goal, a race, a competition, something relatively short term. That helps me keep up the motivation. I've lost weight. I hate hearing "skinny", seriously HATE it. I don't watch what I eat to be skinny. I watch what I eat to be lean and healthy. I watch what I eat because I feel better in general, mostly less tired and with less aches and pains because getting old sucks.

Just this afternoon I was walking through Target, looking at junk food that admittedly tastes good, but makes me feel awful. I was thinking about making a small commitment, just one week, to eat clean. I know from experience, that a week is long enough to feel better, and I'd probably just keep going. I finished my shopping, got in the car, and pulled up Facebook. Everybody does that, right? I had a message from a friend who I haven't seen in years. She said I inspired her. She mentioned reading my first blog post (CLICK HERE, if you want to do the same) again. I went back and read it, too. I sometimes forget where I started, when I couldn't run more than a half mile. She asked some questions, so I'll answer them here. Let this be your lesson, friend, don't ask me about running unless you want to open Pandora's Box. I will go on and on until you beg me to shut up.

How do I stay motivated?  - So, I touched on that above. I love competition. At first it wasn't with anyone else, I certainly wasn't looking at Age Group placings in a 5k or some other race. Competing against, and pushing myself to do better was enough of a challenge. That's one thing I love about running. A PR is a *PERSONAL RECORD*, not a judge-yourself-against-some-super-hot-chick-with-God-given-running-talent. It's for you, and only you, to compare your effort for the day. Being a beginner runner is a lot of fun because you PR often. If you want to run, pick a race. A 5k is a good start. 3.1 miles is a challenge, but it's attainable in a fairly short amount of time without devoting hours upon hours to training. Register for the race. Not on race day, ahead of time, so you're monetarily committed. Dropping cash is always good motivation. Go watch a race if you're scared. I used to think that only badass athletes did half marathons and marathons. People of all kinds do both. People actually walk. It's allowed. I promise. There are training plans all over the place online and Couch to 5k is a popular one. Go to a real running store and get fitted for good shoes (be prepared do drop $100, and no you can't save money by buying the same brands but different styles at TJ Maxx. If you could, I'd be the first to point you in that direction). My friend isn't local, so I don't know where to direct her (we have Run On!, Luke's Locker, and CK Sports here). Running stores also have running programs if you don't want to do it on your own. My biggest recommendation for new runners is to run slowly. Running fast hurts. Hurting sucks, so you quit. Run slowly, so you can talk easily. I prefer to run outside, and I wear a Garmin watch to track my pace and distance, but I determine the pace because I run based on how I feel. Punching a number in on the treadmill gives me bad feelings. So, I say all that to say- I stay motivated because I pick a race, pay for it, train for it, and go do my best on race day. So can you. I'm proud of you for running a mile. I hope it was a good experience and you want to do it again. I'm here for you whenever you want to ask a question or share your achievements.

What do I mean when I say "eating clean"? - There's probably a huge variation in what this means when you ask different people. I'm probably super liberal on that spectrum. Eating clean to me is not eating processed or sugary foods. I keep it simple. I pretty much try to avoid anything out of a box. I eat lean meats, fruits, veggies, reduced fat dairy, stuff like that. I try really hard to avoid alcohol and even diet Dr. Pepper. That's as good as it gets for me. I told you I'm no saint when it comes to eating healthy.

Thank you, friend, for inspiring me. I needed that today.

Swimming Progress

I've made some huge improvements in swimming. I've been to 3 Masters classes and dropped from 63 strokes in 50 meters to 40 strokes in 50 meters. I was able to do that twice today, toward the end of the workout. I don't think I can hold that for 300 meters. Ha, I don't know that I can swim 300 meters! But I'm getting there. The funny thing about dropping my stroke count is that it feels like I'm not swimming well... I guess because I'm not working as hard. That's all I'm hoping for in this first triathlon- to get out of the water feeling like I didn't work too hard. I think I can make up some time on the bike and maybe even the run (despite my lack of running since the marathon).

My Mother's Day Gift- My Specialized Dolce

I got my Mother's Day gift early, about a month ago. I picked it out myself, although my 3 year old son was with me. The guy who sold it to me was super awesome and played with coins with my son while I tried riding different bikes outside the store. I sent my husband a text and said, "Can I?" and he replied yes, just give him a few minutes to move some money around. I had chest pain. I didn't know if I'd love cycling, triathlons, the bike itself... and I pretty much doubled my original budget to buy this bike. When people say running is cheap, I think they lie. When people say cycling is expensive, I know it is true. The bike is just the beginning. I walked out of the store with the bike, a bag that fits under the seat to hold a spare tire tube, a CO2 cartridge for airing it up, and tools to pry the tire off the rim... basically the absolute minimum I needed to get started. I was borrowing my husband's helmet for a few rides. Since then, I've bought: a helmet, clipless pedals, shoes, covers for my shoes, bike shorts, 2 jerseys, gloves, lights for the front and rear, a mounting bracket to transport the bike in our truck, a bracket for my Garmin (which reminds me to research cycling computers because I'll probably go that direction over the Garmin watch at some point), chain oil, and I'm probably still leaving something out. My husband has asked me to wait until payday to buy more a couple of times, but he's never given me that look that says, "Seriously? You do not need this". But better than all of these things I've accumulated, my husband bought a bike and I have a riding buddy. We did 40-something miles together this week, some of which in the rain. This is what happens when you're 10 miles from home and the rain on the radar catches up to you. It was fun, like being kids, except we had to carefully dry our precious bikes when we got home.

I gave my son my phone so he could play Angry Birds and discovered that he took some pictures

My Specialized Dolce (2010)

Masters Swim

Last week I made friends with two other nurses at my new job when we started talking triathlons. It turns out they planned to do the same one I'm doing. One had already registered but I shared the Schwaggle deal for a huge discount on the tri registration with the other girl. Save a girl some money, instant friends! They excitedly asked me to swim and ride with them, even stay in their hotel the night before the race. I love other athletes... We can be total strangers or have nothing else really in common, but bond like BFFs over workouts. So, these girls gushed about their coach for their Masters swim class and convinced me to try it out. One mentioned in conversation a guy at the pool who used 62 strokes for 50 meters. Not having ever counted, I did count the next time I went to the pool. Ouch. 63. So, that's where I started, going into my first class. Now, I am probably not ready for any other Masters classes, but my friends are the only ones in this class right now. Tuesday was my first class and I dropped 9 strokes, down to 54. I was exhausted and starving by the end of class. Tonight was my second class. I dropped 7 strokes, down to 47! What was funny, though, is that I thought I was swimming terribly. It felt like I was standing still in the water and not moving at all with each stroke. I was shocked when Patrick called out 47 for my stroke count. Who, me??? I was getting tired and losing form by the end, but not as bad as Tuesday afternoon. I still have a long way to go but I'm super excited with my improvement over just the past few days.

First Marathon: Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon 2012 Race Report

My race expectations changed as frequently as the weather forecast this week. At one point, we were expecting a glorious low of 51 and high of 61. My dream weather. Instead we got a low in the 60's, high of 75 by the time I finished, mostly cloudy, and some rain. I have cloudy brain on half marathons so it's really cloudy for a full. On Friday I talked and texted with some friends who helped me realize that I put a lot of (unneccessary) pressure on myself to measure success by speed. Based on my long run pace, I felt like sub-5 was within reach... with good weather. As it became clear that it would be warmer than ideal, I became ok with letting that goal become a lofty "A" goal, but totally ok if I couldn't hit it. I really didn't even know where to set "B" and "C" goals, so I spread them out at 5:30 and 6:00. I got a little emotional telling Jake goodbye at the entrance to the corrals. Dork! I lined up at the very front of the C corral, nowhere near a pacer. It was a different feeling to look at my Garmin to be sure I wasn't going out too fast, rather than hitting a goal pace. Early in the race, I just ran for comfort, not to hit a certain pace. From the first beep of my watch at mile one, I took a one minute walk break at each mile. I'm sure it did some physical good, I know it helped psychologically, and it's what I did on every long run in training. In the first or second mile, I passed a group of firefighters walking the race in full bunker gear- very inspirational. I didn't see a fire truck displaying an American flag on the course, but this worked for me.

I saw runners taking beer for the first time in mile 5. Mile 6 held vodka. I didn't partake. For not training on hills, I was surprised at how well I handled the hills. I passed lots of runners who walked up the hills. The hill with a name- Gorilla Hill- didn't phase me. I saw Libby and Jake at the same time around mile 8. The miles were passing quickly. Before I knew it, we were at 11. There were two periods of steady rainfall. It felt good and was peaceful. I naturally started picking up the pace around 13 and just went with it. The volunteers and spectators were awesome. I loved having my name on my bib and having people cheer for me by name. It helped! I saw Jake just before mile 14, when we hit the lake. He gave me a package of Pringles because I knew those are easy on my running tummy and good for the salt. By this point I really didn't want another Honey Stinger waffle or chews. This was also when I saw a 5:15 pacer because the course had a very short out & back portion. I never saw that sign again. I didn't particularly like the lake portion, not because it wasn't pretty or anything, I think just because it was too far from the finish to be happy. Those were some of my fastest miles, though.  I started taking Powerade at some aid stations for the sugar. I also took oranges a few times. They were the best oranges I've ever had and I normally don't even like oranges! I saw Jake again just before mile 21. I was starting to hurt but held it together for another 2 miles before the hurt got worse. 23 was rough for me. It was a great pick-me-up to see Corina and some other NTX Runners walking backwards on the course during that mile.

Pic borrowed from Mama C- she turned around and ran alongside me until she could get the pic. Love her.

From 23 on, I walked at every half mile and through most aid stations. I was shocked later to see that my pace in those miles wasn't as bad as I felt. Jake was waiting for me about .3 miles from the finish. He ran with me until I entered the finishers chute. I could see the finish line and knew from my watch that I could finish under 5:15. I gave it all I had, finishing stronger than I ever imagined I'd be able to, with a pace near 9:00. My official time was 5:13:46, with an average pace of 11:59 (my Garmin shows my distance as 26.51 dropping my pace to 11:50). I picked up fluids, a couple cookies, had my picture taken, and claimed my first finishers shirt. I promise to wash it nightly, but I may wear that thing for the next week. I also saw Elaine before leaving.

Pic borrowed from Elaine- she squealed and said, "Ooh! I gotta text Lesley, she's dying to know how you did" and then she whipped out her phone and texted Lesley.

The walk to the car wasn't far, thankfully, but I was certainly ready to sit. I actually felt better than I did after my first half marathon. We stopped for lunch at On The Border, where I had quesadillas and a margarita (a runner needs salt, right?). Then it was time to go home. The ride was tough. My legs just weren't happy with any position. A shower and bath at home felt good, but my legs were about the highest level of soreness without actual pain. And the were hot- inflammation, maybe? I usually avoid ibuprofen, but I took Prilosec, Maalox, water, a whataburger junior & fries, and chased it with 800mg of ibuprofen and a long night's sleep.

I'm a marathoner!!!