Pre-race... Happy and relaxed! But why am I looking the wrong way?
Off we go!
Watch your step! And... nice 'do.
So serious:
Dazed and confused:
My feet are barely leaving the ground here:
Yay! The finish line!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Race Pics
The photos from Sunday kind of tell the whole story. :)
Pre-race... Happy and relaxed! But why am I looking the wrong way?
Off we go!
Watch your step! And... nice 'do.
So serious:
Dazed and confused:
My feet are barely leaving the ground here:
Yay! The finish line!
Pre-race... Happy and relaxed! But why am I looking the wrong way?
Off we go!
Watch your step! And... nice 'do.
So serious:
Dazed and confused:
My feet are barely leaving the ground here:
Yay! The finish line!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Long-Awaited Race Report
So maybe you haven't been anxiously awaiting my witty, self-deprecating race report, but humor me and pretend you have, OK? :)
Sunday was the New Jersey State Tri, my A race of the year. Prior to Sunday, I had done one Olympic triathlon, and that was three years ago. At that time, I was running a lot more (and a lot faster) but biking and swimming less. My time in that race was 3:14 or 3:16 or something or other (the race site no longer lists results from 2008, so I don't know for sure).
My #1 goal was -- and still is, sadly -- to break 3 hours for an Olympic tri. With the Mid-Atlantic in the grips of Heat Wave #5, I knew Sunday would not be my day. I hoped I'd be close, though. Maybe 3:05ish? 3:10 at worst?
THE SWIM
If you've been reading this for a while, you know I have had issues with open water anxiety. A great experience with a practice open water swim (and The Swim Whisperer) two weeks ago gave me much-needed confidence. Prior to the race, I was nervous, but more butterflies nervous than "Oh my God I'm going to die" nervous. I was in Wave 7 out of 11, and the race started about 10 minutes late... which meant I didn't get in the water until about 8:10 a.m. This is significant because the announcer told us at about 7:20 a.m. that it was already 83 degrees out.
Our wave started... and I was fine. Better than fine. I had strategically positioned myself toward the back of the pack (120 or so people in my wave), away from the thrashing. I paced myself and used my friend Michelle's advice, chanting "stroke stroke breathe" in my head to get into a rhythm. Friends Jennifer and Katrina also made an appearance in my brain, reminding me to beeee caaalllllm. It worked. No anxiety, no nervousness, no fear. I swam and swam and swam. Yes, I was kicked, punched, scratched, whatever. Didn't bother me at all. Yes, I had the sun in my eyes (note to self: buy tinted goggles!) after the second turn. Didn't bother me at all. Yes, I had a minor asthma attack about 15 yards from the finish. Didn't bother me at all. I emerged from the water, waved at D, and began the long, uphill run toward the transition area. 1,500 meters in 36:05.
THE BIKE
It took me quite a while to feel good on the bike. My legs were so tired! I couldn't understand it after such a relaxed taper week last week. I should have been rested and ready, but instead I felt as though I'd done a 40-miler the day before the race. Finally, I got into a bit of a rhythm and settled in for the 25.5 mile bike ride. Even though I'd practiced riding in aero position as much as possible, the flat bike course meant I was in aero for the majority of the time... and I wasn't ready for that. About 3/4 of the way through, I just. hurt. (Warning, TMI coming!) I couldn't get comfortable, and the thin padding on my shorts wasn't helping. (My race shorts have an even thinner pad than the thinly padded tri shorts I wear in training.) Plus, I was very crampy, and the 3 Advils I had taken at 5:30 a.m. had already worn off. I couldn't wait to get back to transition to take more Advil. Being in aero position put a lot of pressure on my crampy gut. I sat up quite a bit, and at one point I stood and dropped my heels to stretch a bit.
There was a little wind on the bike course, but honestly I have no excuses for why I didn't do better. It just wasn't my day. The bike and I were not friends on Sunday. 25.5 miles in 1:27:29 (17.5 mph average).
THE DEATH MARCH, AKA THE GREAT BONK OF 2011, AKA THE RUN
After downing 3 more Advils, taking a few puffs from my inhaler, eating some Sport Beans and drinking from my water bottle, I started running. At first, I felt OK. I was hoping for about a 9 minute pace for the 10K run, and I probably did the first mile in slightly more than that. I had forgotten to put my watch on, and it was actually a good thing. If I'd seen how slowly I was going in the later miles, I probably would have given up!
Due to the excessive heat, I made a decision to take water and/or Heed at every water stop and WALK the water stops. I have to hand it to CGI Racing; they had water at about every mile, plus two misting stations (the second of which was more of a drenching station... we ran through a puddle about an inch deep from all the water!), plus bags of ice and icy cold towels. They did everything possible to keep us safe and cool. I took advantage of EVERYTHING they offered me -- water, ice, towel, misting, a girl with a hose near the transition area, more water, Heed, more ice, another towel, etc. I must have walked 1.5 miles of the 10K, and I know each mile got slower and slower. Folks, I totally bonked out there. I just had nothing left to give at that point. I later found out that it was 95 degrees with a heat index of 100 at that time.
All I wanted to do was finish, time be damned. After the 5 mile marker, I stopped producing sweat altogether. Never a good sign, but I kept shuffling along, knowing I was so close to the finish. As I came around the turn to the finish chute, I heard my brother, uncle, D, and my friend Darlise (who kicked ass and did a 2:54!) cheering for me. Oh, how sweet a sound! 10K in 1:05:24 (10:33 pace).
(That's me coming to the finish after 3+ hours of racing. So happy to be done!)
My total time was 3:13:29. I'm disappointed, but I know I did the best I could on that particular day.
Will I do an Olympic again? Probably, and I won't wait three more years. I'm such a big fan of CGI Racing that I will probably sign up for the same race next year. It can't possibly be worse, right? ;)
Sunday was the New Jersey State Tri, my A race of the year. Prior to Sunday, I had done one Olympic triathlon, and that was three years ago. At that time, I was running a lot more (and a lot faster) but biking and swimming less. My time in that race was 3:14 or 3:16 or something or other (the race site no longer lists results from 2008, so I don't know for sure).
My #1 goal was -- and still is, sadly -- to break 3 hours for an Olympic tri. With the Mid-Atlantic in the grips of Heat Wave #5, I knew Sunday would not be my day. I hoped I'd be close, though. Maybe 3:05ish? 3:10 at worst?
THE SWIM
If you've been reading this for a while, you know I have had issues with open water anxiety. A great experience with a practice open water swim (and The Swim Whisperer) two weeks ago gave me much-needed confidence. Prior to the race, I was nervous, but more butterflies nervous than "Oh my God I'm going to die" nervous. I was in Wave 7 out of 11, and the race started about 10 minutes late... which meant I didn't get in the water until about 8:10 a.m. This is significant because the announcer told us at about 7:20 a.m. that it was already 83 degrees out.
Our wave started... and I was fine. Better than fine. I had strategically positioned myself toward the back of the pack (120 or so people in my wave), away from the thrashing. I paced myself and used my friend Michelle's advice, chanting "stroke stroke breathe" in my head to get into a rhythm. Friends Jennifer and Katrina also made an appearance in my brain, reminding me to beeee caaalllllm. It worked. No anxiety, no nervousness, no fear. I swam and swam and swam. Yes, I was kicked, punched, scratched, whatever. Didn't bother me at all. Yes, I had the sun in my eyes (note to self: buy tinted goggles!) after the second turn. Didn't bother me at all. Yes, I had a minor asthma attack about 15 yards from the finish. Didn't bother me at all. I emerged from the water, waved at D, and began the long, uphill run toward the transition area. 1,500 meters in 36:05.
THE BIKE
It took me quite a while to feel good on the bike. My legs were so tired! I couldn't understand it after such a relaxed taper week last week. I should have been rested and ready, but instead I felt as though I'd done a 40-miler the day before the race. Finally, I got into a bit of a rhythm and settled in for the 25.5 mile bike ride. Even though I'd practiced riding in aero position as much as possible, the flat bike course meant I was in aero for the majority of the time... and I wasn't ready for that. About 3/4 of the way through, I just. hurt. (Warning, TMI coming!) I couldn't get comfortable, and the thin padding on my shorts wasn't helping. (My race shorts have an even thinner pad than the thinly padded tri shorts I wear in training.) Plus, I was very crampy, and the 3 Advils I had taken at 5:30 a.m. had already worn off. I couldn't wait to get back to transition to take more Advil. Being in aero position put a lot of pressure on my crampy gut. I sat up quite a bit, and at one point I stood and dropped my heels to stretch a bit.
There was a little wind on the bike course, but honestly I have no excuses for why I didn't do better. It just wasn't my day. The bike and I were not friends on Sunday. 25.5 miles in 1:27:29 (17.5 mph average).
THE DEATH MARCH, AKA THE GREAT BONK OF 2011, AKA THE RUN
After downing 3 more Advils, taking a few puffs from my inhaler, eating some Sport Beans and drinking from my water bottle, I started running. At first, I felt OK. I was hoping for about a 9 minute pace for the 10K run, and I probably did the first mile in slightly more than that. I had forgotten to put my watch on, and it was actually a good thing. If I'd seen how slowly I was going in the later miles, I probably would have given up!
Due to the excessive heat, I made a decision to take water and/or Heed at every water stop and WALK the water stops. I have to hand it to CGI Racing; they had water at about every mile, plus two misting stations (the second of which was more of a drenching station... we ran through a puddle about an inch deep from all the water!), plus bags of ice and icy cold towels. They did everything possible to keep us safe and cool. I took advantage of EVERYTHING they offered me -- water, ice, towel, misting, a girl with a hose near the transition area, more water, Heed, more ice, another towel, etc. I must have walked 1.5 miles of the 10K, and I know each mile got slower and slower. Folks, I totally bonked out there. I just had nothing left to give at that point. I later found out that it was 95 degrees with a heat index of 100 at that time.
All I wanted to do was finish, time be damned. After the 5 mile marker, I stopped producing sweat altogether. Never a good sign, but I kept shuffling along, knowing I was so close to the finish. As I came around the turn to the finish chute, I heard my brother, uncle, D, and my friend Darlise (who kicked ass and did a 2:54!) cheering for me. Oh, how sweet a sound! 10K in 1:05:24 (10:33 pace).
(That's me coming to the finish after 3+ hours of racing. So happy to be done!)
My total time was 3:13:29. I'm disappointed, but I know I did the best I could on that particular day.
Will I do an Olympic again? Probably, and I won't wait three more years. I'm such a big fan of CGI Racing that I will probably sign up for the same race next year. It can't possibly be worse, right? ;)
The best feedback I've gotten
"Sorry, Theia it was the suck. But you know what? You were out there for bunches of hours doing bunches of hard things in terrible weather when most other people would say, 'nah...no way.' In great challenge it shows who we are...this shows you kick serious ass. Period." ~ Cranegirl, aka Melissa
You know what? She's right. I do kick serious ass, and so do all my friends -- real and imaginary -- who challenge their bodies and their minds on a regular basis, refusing to give in or give up.
You know what? She's right. I do kick serious ass, and so do all my friends -- real and imaginary -- who challenge their bodies and their minds on a regular basis, refusing to give in or give up.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
This is not my race report
That will come in the next few days (possibly even tomorrow if I have time).
The big race was today. To say I'm disappointed wouldn't even scratch the surface of what I'm feeling. However, I'm hesitant to write about it because I don't want the obligatory "It was just one day... don't let it get you down" comments.
(Not that I don't appreciate them. I do. I really do. I just don't want my blogger friends to feel obligated to write them.)
The fact is, I haven't had a good race -- a race I'm really proud of -- in years. It might be time to retire.
Then again, I could wake up in a day or two, forget all the pain and suffering, and sign up for something again. Just 'cause I'm stupid like that.
P.S. SO AWESOME to meet Miles99999 (I hope I have the right number of 9s there) this weekend!!!!
The big race was today. To say I'm disappointed wouldn't even scratch the surface of what I'm feeling. However, I'm hesitant to write about it because I don't want the obligatory "It was just one day... don't let it get you down" comments.
(Not that I don't appreciate them. I do. I really do. I just don't want my blogger friends to feel obligated to write them.)
The fact is, I haven't had a good race -- a race I'm really proud of -- in years. It might be time to retire.
Then again, I could wake up in a day or two, forget all the pain and suffering, and sign up for something again. Just 'cause I'm stupid like that.
P.S. SO AWESOME to meet Miles99999 (I hope I have the right number of 9s there) this weekend!!!!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Training log
I keep a training log at runningahead.com. It's copied automatically here on Fit Goddess, in the right column. Well, the most recent five or six workouts are copied here, anyway.
One of the things I like to do before a race is go back over my log to see how much work I've done in preparation. Now, mind you, this can backfire if I don't like what I see... or if I compare it to last year during the same time period and it seems inadequate... or what have you. But typically, seeing all my hard work in front of me helps me realize how much I've done to prepare and how ready I really am.
I started training with Coach in mid-May, a bit late for a July 24 goal race, but our schedules didn't mesh before then. (Plus, I didn't realize the magic 12 week window of training had crept up on me until it was already here!) Since then, I have logged:
38,450 yards in the water (21.85 miles)
585.9 miles on my bike
161.6 miles on my feet
(That doesn't include whatever I do this week during my taper, of course.)
That's a lot of miles. And those numbers provide a lot of comfort. I've done the work. Now it's time to have fun on Sunday.
One of the things I like to do before a race is go back over my log to see how much work I've done in preparation. Now, mind you, this can backfire if I don't like what I see... or if I compare it to last year during the same time period and it seems inadequate... or what have you. But typically, seeing all my hard work in front of me helps me realize how much I've done to prepare and how ready I really am.
I started training with Coach in mid-May, a bit late for a July 24 goal race, but our schedules didn't mesh before then. (Plus, I didn't realize the magic 12 week window of training had crept up on me until it was already here!) Since then, I have logged:
38,450 yards in the water (21.85 miles)
585.9 miles on my bike
161.6 miles on my feet
(That doesn't include whatever I do this week during my taper, of course.)
That's a lot of miles. And those numbers provide a lot of comfort. I've done the work. Now it's time to have fun on Sunday.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Grace(less) under pressure
THE SCENE:
South Philadelphia. Theia, her brother, his friend, and SauconRunner are walking toward Lincoln Financial Field for the long-awaited U2 concert. Among the thousands of people heading in the same direction, Theia spots a familiar face...
Theia: blah blah blah ha ha ha
SauconRunner: ha ha blah blah blah bl...
Theia: OMG! Hold on. OMG.
Theia rushes stage right toward Ian Laperriere of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Theia: Excuse me.
Lappy turns.
Theia: I love you.
Lappy: Thank you.
Mrs. Lappy: Awwwww.
Theia [to Mrs. Lappy]: I'm sorry.
Theia [to Lappy]: I do. I love you. I miss you.
Lappy: Thank you.
Theia: And I wish you all the best.
Lappy: That is very kind. Thank you.
Smooth. Very smooth.
South Philadelphia. Theia, her brother, his friend, and SauconRunner are walking toward Lincoln Financial Field for the long-awaited U2 concert. Among the thousands of people heading in the same direction, Theia spots a familiar face...
Theia: blah blah blah ha ha ha
SauconRunner: ha ha blah blah blah bl...
Theia: OMG! Hold on. OMG.
Theia rushes stage right toward Ian Laperriere of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Theia: Excuse me.
Lappy turns.
Theia: I love you.
Lappy: Thank you.
Mrs. Lappy: Awwwww.
Theia [to Mrs. Lappy]: I'm sorry.
Theia [to Lappy]: I do. I love you. I miss you.
Lappy: Thank you.
Theia: And I wish you all the best.
Lappy: That is very kind. Thank you.
Smooth. Very smooth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)