A little bit of this and that...

I've been a little lame in my posting lately and not because I choose to be. I've just had so much going on that this has taken a back burner to it all.

The weekend was my longest bike ride yet!! 88 miles in 5 Hours. Then I hoped off the bike and managed to keep a 9:30 min/mile ave for my run. This was such a confidence booster for me as I was thinking I didn't have it in me to run a marathon after my IM bike. I felt like jello but felt like I could just run on auto pilot. It felt that good to run after my bike! I kept up with my nutrition which I think had a major factor in that nice run.

Yesterday I volunteered at Our local tri clubs featured event, Caz Tri in Cazenovia, NY. What a blast I had. I body marked. Even my daughter helped. I knew a few that she marked because she put a few S's (for sprint) backwards on some calves. Also she made a mistake with a number on a womens calf, scratched it off and then started underneath it!! Oh my god it was hysterical. Thank god the women thought it was funny, and cute too!! I then led the bikers in and out of transition. So much fun to see the action up front!

I have been frustrated lately. My coach has recently told us that she will no longer be coaching with Train-this and she will be moving onto bigger and better things with QT2 systems. While Im happy for her, I am stumped at where I go from here. I now know what I am truely looking for in a coach and would like to pursue other avenues. Not that my coach wasn't good to me, but feel I need more. I have been looking into a few coaches in the area. Its hard to choose as its about personality as well as how my coach can help me with my training. I don't know what my plans are after my Full Iron Distance race. But I know I want to keep doing tris in the future. This is definately one of the toughest decisions for me.

I have been really internalizing my races this year and have cried a few times as I feel like the spark and fun that I used to feel has somewhat dwindled. I still get excited dont get me wrong but its not like it used to be. I had fun on my 10 +mile run yest, I had fun on my bike ride, but when Im racing, Im losing my spark. This is where I need to find it again.

Is this normal when training for an Ironman?

I hope it can come before October....

2011 Athleta Iron Girl Race Report

I never know where to start with these race reports so I am going to start with my feelings on the race..

Every year I've raced this race, there is something that has changed...whether it be the swim, the transition, the Expo, Something has changed...

Just to give you background, this race is at Oneida Lake State Park in Brewerton, NY. It is a first timer race for many of the local newbies as it is a ALL women race. It is a race to Empower women and give them a sense of accomplishment....

I woke up at 4:30AM this morning, had my usual pre race breakfast, settled down for a chat with my honey, Grabbed my NEW Blue Seventy transition bag ( I got for a STEAL of a price through the expo!! They had them marked wrong! WIN for me!) and was out the door by 5AM.

My honey and I were taking different cars because he needed to leave early for work and had to park off site. Come to find out they weren't even checking wrist bands and letting everyone in!

I arrived around 5:30 to the body marking tent and almost got dizzy from the fumes! I settled in with my bag, got all my stuff in position, helped a women change her tire, helped my speedy swim friend pump her tires up and was out of transition at 6:30. I even met a person I went to high school with in Transition!! Wow! Time flies!

My friend G and I had a pep talk about who we were gunning for and then got into the water for a quick swim out to test the water.

I finally met up with my honey right before my wave went off at 7:35Am, kissed him and got into the water. I was singing crazily...fist pumping as the music was rolling..then the Gun went off!!It was a mass chaotic mess to the first buoy!! I was fighting for my position with these girls!! All I kept thinking was keep at it and it will disperse soon as these girls will get tired. I had a girl to my left who kept hitting me and putting her palm in my face, I finally stopped swimming for a minute and grabbed the top of her shoulder and pulled her back...I was not happy...After we rounded the first buoy I swam over 2 girls in the wave before me who didnt have wetsuits that were right in the middle of all of us. HEY, I had no where to go but there!! As I rounded the next buoy to come to shore, I had a lot of weaving in and out to do!!! The wave before us, there was a bunch of girls waliking, breast stroking, back stroking, that I had to weave in and out of...I ended up way off course and had to swim under a buoy line to get back on track.

The swim was supposed to be 600m but think it was a little longer-

Swim time: 13:57 (I did this for a 800m a month ago!!!)
(49/1047 Overall swim time)

T1- This was a long transition up the beach to the parking lot. I ran the whole thing, Should've ran a little harder!!  Time: 2:21

Bike- I wanted to try keeping my shoes on the bike and getting them on while biking. The pavement was so full of gravel, I cut my foot. I got on my bike and tried to put my shoes on. I took me a good 1/2 mile to put them on. I think my time was slower in these few min because I was fumbling!! I finally got them in and started biking really well. I averaged about a 22-23mph for the first 5 miles. I was passing people, really enjoying my bike. Until, the railroad tracks came!! I tried to hop them and when my bike landed my aero bottle flipped out of the front of my aerobars. I screeched to a halt, went down in a ditch and grabbed my bottle, trying to put it back on my bike. I finally said screw it, and threw it at the volunteer across the road, hitting her in the leg. I felt bad. I asked her to take it and then threw it!!! So I wasn't being mean as everyone who has heard my story thinks!! ha ha!!

I then proceeded on the bike, saw a guy hand water to a lady, but then as I went by, I saw he had a Whole case and was handing them out!!! Crap! I should've grabbed one!! (But isn't that getting outside assistance??) I saw a girl pass the yellow line..a few people with I Pods on. Man this bike was just crazy! at some points I was biking really well, averaging close to a 22 mph speed. Some parts I was up to 27mph..I felt like my biking was much better than the time I had. I will have to see about that when I plug my garmin in. I Know it was 19.3 miles and not 18.8 like they said! I had a gel only on my bike and took it around mile 10. So glad I had these at least!

The bike dismount went great. Got my feet out on the bike, and then we rounded the last bend I had to screech on my brakes!! Bike jam! I was screaming come on!!! I wasted timeat the bike mount because people were everywhere!

Bike time: 51:20/21 mph ave speed even with stopping and fumbling!!!
(12/1047 OA)

T2- Same thing, big transition- Time: 1:09. I stumbled a little getting my shoes on but pretty good there

Run: Now, this is where I am the weakest. I have been working on this with my coach but there still is so much need for improvement. I was off the bike feeling pretty good despite my lack of nutrition. I am so glad my pre race nutrition was spot on and I think this is what carried me throughout the race. And, I had my head in the game for the most part!!
Not too much to say about the run except on the last mile a lady with the bst triathlon body came out of no where and was in my age group and I tried to gun her down but she was just so much faster than me I had to let her go. I was running out of steam quickly. I took some perform and 1 gel on the run.

As I was out running, so many people I knew were cheering me on, I was cheering them on...Such a great great race!!!

Run time: 27:06/8:45min/mi pace
(161/1047 OA)

Total Time: 1:35:53.
20th OA!!

Not a PR, but I have come to terms with this race finally. I knew I had done alot over the last few weeks. After 2 weeks of racing, training, no rest. I guess I know what a Ironman will feel like....Slightly!!!


IronGirl.com

Racing and April Numbers

As I was cleaning up the Computer room today, I stumbled upon a Triathlon Training book my guy picked up when he first started doing Tri's. The Triathlete's Training Bible, By Joe Friel. I flipped through the pages and noted some interesting Parts to this book. One I would like to share and that is Racing and Recovery.

We are masters at balancing our families, our careers, home upkeep, relationships, community responsibilities all while swimming, biking, running and Strength Training. This is all done for the pure purpose of producing peak performance. Most of us do not get paid for all the time and effort we put into all of the aspects mentioned.

The real reward we all seek is the perfect race- the one in which we feel strong and in control through each of the legs of the race. For this reward we endure workouts most normal people wouldn't dream of doing. Unfortunately for some of us, I included occasionally get caught up in doing more than is needed and allow the real reward to escape. This is most common in the week of a race and at times when we are so driven to succeed that recovery isn't a option.

The most common error for serious multisport athletes is to continue training at a high workload in the mistaken belief that fitness is only gained by how hard you work to get there. Not so. Fitness improves during REST.

Someplace between your normal training workload and being a couch potato is appropriate amount of training for race week.

6 days before a race should be a recovery swim or bike. Get the bike tuned up for race day. Eat well!

3-5 days before a race should have brief bursts of race simulation intensity with long recoveries (Hey this sounds just like what my coach plans for me!! ha ha!)

2 days before a race, rest or recovery swim. Pack your bike if you are traveling, Eat food you are used to, drink water and go to bed on time

Day before the race keep the workout short with brief bursts of high intensity.  30 min bike 15 min run. Drive the bike course and check it out. Check out hills, mile markers, pavement surfaces, turn around points, corners, etc. Stay off your legs and out of the sun. Go to a movie, take a bus tour, read. Get your mind off the race.

Race Day- Keep with the rituals. There is something to be said about following a detailed procedure on race day.  Start from the moment you wake, Smile and think positive thoughts about the race and how you feel. Learn to trust your training and racing experience. Mentally separate yourself from thoughts of winning and losing. Dont race against others. You are in this for you and you have no control over whether you are better than them or not. Act as if you were calm, act as if it was another workout with friends.

Remind yourself that no matter what happens, only good will come from the race. If its a PR great! If not, you learned something from experience and know what you can do to make you better the next time.

GO Get them!!

And in closing April was full of soggy, grey days. Had some ups and downs. Here are the numbers

Swim- 29,278 yds- 9.25 hours
Bike- 100.85 miles plus trainer rides- 20.20 hours
Run- 81.46 miles- 14.13 hours
strength- 3.5 hours

TOTAL 47.08 Hours

Happy training!

Taper Week

Well so far this has been a great taper week! I've actually spent alot of time with my family who really have not seen me all that much this summer!!

I have not made it out to my favorite lake to swim this week..these dark mornings have made me want to sleep in more!

I have 4 more days until the big day. It was nice to see in the local news there was an article all about the Syracuse 70.3. You can find it at http://www.syracuse.com/

Yes they ask can you complete this course?!! And they give examples of what each leg of the course would be like 1.2 miles is equal to walking around the outside of the State Fair. and 56 mile bike would be from here to Watertown.

I do have expectations this week. I would like to finish around 6 hours. I have mapped it out in my head a billion times. I think it is doable. If not I will not be upset as this is only my first and quoted one of the most Challenging 70.3s on the Ironman Series!! With 2700 feet of elevation gain, it is tough!! But not undoable as I have ridden the course 3 times now. I know where I can push and where I need to take it slow.

A Fellow triathlete who is also a coach gave me a few pointers that I would like to share and I will be thinking about these all day this Sunday:

1. The hardest part is the start
2. Leave your ego at the door when mounting your bike
3. Ride for show run for dough!!!
4. If someone passes you on the bike....let them go..you may pass them on the run

Thanks Mary Eggers For all your wisdom! And by the way she just placed 2nd OA Female at her Half Iron!! 4:59!! Way to go!! Did I mention she will be coaching me for my FIRST IRONMAN next year?!! Yep I said it!! Look out people!! :)

Rules of Race Day Etiquette

Now that its coming down to the final weeks of RACE DAY, I decided to name a few things that bug the crap out of me and things I have been telling fellow triathletes new and old to the sport.

Here is a guide I would like people to follow:

1. There is such a thing as too much skin- I get it. You're proud of your body. That's great.

But goodness…can we please keep the bouncing parts to a minimum, and covered? It's giving all the rest of us regular, non-cyborg females a complex, and it's making the men racers trip in front of us. Not cool.
I also definately don't like seeing old wrinkly men in their speedo ready to take the plunge in the water. Eww...

2. When setting up your transition USE a Hand Towel- It is a pet peeve of mine seeing people come to the triathlon with Storage bins filled with everything but the Kitchen sink!! Hello! Other people need to rack their bikes next to you!

Triathlon real estate is at a premium. That does not mean you have squatter's rights to get to a race early, rack your bike, and spread a beach towel out with all your gear, a small petting zoo, and a six-course meal.

Learn to pack your transition items well. If you do things right, you should be able to fit everything you need for your triathlon on a hand towel that fits under your bike. If you can't accomplish this, don't be surprised if an angry triathlete "accidentally" kicks your stuff all over the place during a race. We're passive-aggressive like that.

3. There are Port-a Johns and there are Bushes...Please do not spray your pee on ME!!- Unless you are a elite triathlete going for the big prize then get off your bike and go to the Bathroom!! I am not going to get peed on because you think you need to shave time by peeing on your bike.
 
 
4. Dont Pollute!!- There's no excuse for throwing your empty bottles, drained gel packs, or energy bar wrappers on the ground. Every aid station in your race will have some sort of trash receptacle available. If you can't make it to the actual receptacle itself, hand your garbage off to a volunteer so they can dispose of it. Just throwing it on the ground is mean to Mother Nature and hazardous to the people following behind you.
 
5. Thank the Volunteers- Often, the folks behind the planning and organization are not paid, and they don't get a medal after the finish like you do. Additionally, the people who are handing you water on the course, pointing you in the right direction, or bandaging up your skinned knees after you trip in a hole, or trip over your own feet are also volunteers.


Without the volunteers, these races most certainly would not happen. Let them know you appreciate them so they'll keep coming back. When you run past an aid station, take a second to smile and chirp "YOU ROCK!"

6. PLAY BY THE RULES- If you don't know the USAT rules, learn them quick!! My last race drove me nuts that people were blocking me on the bike leg, Riding 3 abreast, and When I called On Your Left they didn't move over and hugged the Yellow line!!!! Stay to the RIGHT people!!! Also Never, ever, never cross the yellow line!! I was so peeved at this!

7. Get to the Race early- If you are running into transition 2 minutes before it closes, it is your fault if you cannot find a good racking spot. Granted most bigger races have you rack the night before so you know where your bike is but most local races don't. If you want a great spot get there early. Don't complain about not having assigned racks. Thats annoying.

8. DO not - I repeat DO Not use your headset on the bike or run!!- This is another USAT rule that is violated. Come on, you can do it without the music. Get a couple songs in your head the night before and use them when you are suffering. In your head...I do it all the time so can you

9. Offer friendly words of encouragement- Everyone likes a nice job, well done, anything to let them know they are still alive and are doing ok!! On the run I always say nice job when passing fellow triathletes. It gets my spirits up when people do the same!

10. Good or bad race - “Be your own HERO!” after the race. Smile, hold your head high and take pride inside. You stepped up to the start line and you did it, you put yourself in the heat of competition and you finished even if the only person you were competing with was yourself

What makes a great race?

I often think to myself, what makes a great race? Coming up on my first Olympic this weekend has got my wheels a turning trying to execute a great race in my head.

I have a few preparations that I need to do beforehand. For one, Fix my darn seat!! I have been having a hard time getting used to any seat in aero position. You think by now, that it is the end of the season, my whoo ha would feel good on a seat by now! I even got my bike fitted and it made no big difference!!

Thoughts of what a great race means to me:

1. Having everything packed and ready to go the night before, including my nutrition needs. This weekend I will be drinking Strawberry HEED on the bike...YUM.

2. Getting a nice wholesome breakfast in of Boost and Bagel with Peanut butter...always a pre race Fav..

3. Being out the door with minutes to spare, not rushing

4. Getting to the venue nice and early to help pre-race jitters, scope out the course and get either a swim or small bike ride in..

5. Having a great spot in transition, everything lined up perfectly

6. Being able to smile and laugh throughout the whole race (I have yet to get here all the way)

7. Nailing my nutrition needs

8. Executing my Swim, Transitions, Bike and Run. Im a little slower on the run than I'd like to be, so if I can keep my run as well as Iron Girl I will do well this weekend.

9. Having Great race support and post workout grub..

10. Not being sick at the finish line.

11. And knowing no matter how I place, that I did this for me, I did this for enjoyment, health and self gratification and thats all that matters.

What makes a great race for you???