I signed up for Shawnee Mission this year in hopes that having an event on the calendar would inspire me to train.
It didn't really work.
The result was that I went into the race without having trained much. I wasn't worried about it. I would be slower than I have been in the past, and I was okay with that. The main thing was to go out and have a great time.
My parents drove up from Wichita just to see me race, too! It was an opportunity to race, and a great chance to spend time with my family.
Pre-Game
I drove up to Kansas City on Saturday, after checking the cows and sheep. I got to spend most of the afternoon and evening with my parents. We went to Minsky's Pizza for dinner. My dad and I enjoyed watching le Tour on Versus in their hotel room. I am a fan of any hotel that offers Versus as part of its cable package! I stayed up too late, though; I didn't leave them until almost 10:00 p.m., and then had a good half hour drive back to my friend's apartment, where I was spending the night.
I barely slept all night, but that's normal. I make a point of getting extra sleep for several nights before a race, because I always have trouble sleeping the night before a race. Starting time was later this year, because the Challenged Athletes got the earliest start times. As a result, we took our time in the morning, and didn't arrive at the race site until about 6. I drank some coffee on the way, and felt the effects about the time we were pulling into the parking lot. I wanted to walk down with my family, but ended up zooming down on my bike to find some port-a-johns!
Set-up in the transition zone was seamless. The pre-assigned rack spaces were the most spacious I've ever seen at any triathlon! We all had plenty of room, which reduced the stress of setting up my space. I must be getting old, though, because I could hardly stand the banter of my age-group. Too chipper too early in the morning. I went to hang out with my friend, Karlene, in the old ladies' rack space. Karlene drove up from Wichita for the race. I didn't know she was coming, so it was a real treat to see her at packet pick-up on Saturday!
Swim: 21:56 (1:01/100 yd)
My last pool swim was back in March, at the Chillicothe YMCA (I'm not a member, but my friend Claire is). My main concern had been endurance, but after knocking out a 500 with no problem, I figured I didn't really need to train. I did get in some lake swimming in May, and I've played around in our ponds on hot days. I hadn't done any serious swimming in months.
My main issue was not endurance, but flexibility. About 600 meters in, the right side of my neck started cramping. I went to bilateral breathing, and had trouble turning my head to the left at first. After it loosened up, the bilateral breathing helped. Considering how little swim training I had going into this race, I was pleased with my performance. This is only 32 seconds off of my swim PR at this race!
T1: 1:25
As always, a long, uphill run to the transition area. I took my swim cap and goggles off on the run up, grabbed two GUs and put on my helmet, and then I was off onto the brutal, 18-mile bike.
Bike: 1:05:39 (16.4 MPH)
Compared to previous years, I lost the most time on the bike. In my best year, 2011, I completed the 18 miles in 56:24! Like with my swim, I hadn't been cycling for at least a month. My heart and lungs had the fitness, but my muscles lacked the strength, especially on this tough, hilly course.
Perhaps just as significantly, I sold my Specialized Transition to bolster my savings for my move to the farm last July. My Fuji Ace weighs in at 23 lbs, a full 5 lbs heavier than my Transition. I probably brought an extra 5 lbs to the hills this year, too.
Shawnee Mission is always brutal on the bike, but I was only there for fun, so I tried to stay light and easy on the steep hills and enjoy the downhills. I tried to tamp down my competitive instinct, and not chase every woman with a "25" on her calf who passed me. I resigned myself to a middle-of-the-pack finish, and prioritized having fun over kicking butt.
T2: 58 seconds
For the first time ever, a volunteer told me to speed up coming into the dismount area.
Run: 52:08 (11:37/mile)
Ick. The Shawnee Mission run course takes it out of me every year, but over 11:00/mile? Yeesh.
I hadn't run in over a month. Go figure. The best I can say about my run performance was that I didn't walk.
Much.
Total: 2:22:03
In 2011, my best year, I finished in 2:02:29, almost 20 minutes faster than this year! I don't mind, though. This race was for fun. I dipped my toe back into the pool of triathlon, to see if I still like it, and the race accomplished its purpose. Well, it accomplished that purpose. The original purpose was to keep me motivated to train, and that totally didn't work.
I didn't bother staying around for the awards. I figured that, with my performance, I didn't need to bother. But--lo and behold!--I got an e-mail from the race organizers last week, asking where to send my trophy! I finished 4th out of 8 in my division (better than I expected, honestly), so someone in my division must have placed overall.
I finished 31 out of 51 females, and 185 out of 229 athletes. In the bottom half of the results, in other words. Doesn't seem like I should get a trophy for that, does it?
I wanted to see if I still like triathlon, if I should still do it. I didn't have the burning bush revelation that I wanted. But I realized that I still enjoy racing, and I think it's worth continuing to spend a little bit of time and money and energy on it.
Triathlon makes me a bad-ass. But women's rugby and farming are also pretty bad-ass endeavors. So if I let go of one bad-ass endeavor, it's alright; I have back-ups.
Showing posts with label Shawnee Mission. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shawnee Mission. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Officially Registered
I just officially registered for the Shawnee Mission Park Triathlon!
This ought to get my rear in gear, training wise!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Race Report: Shawnee Mission '11
This was the big one, the race I've been training for and targeting all season. I really restructured my training, this year, beginning much later than I normally do so that I would still feel fresh and motivated in July. I pre-rode and pre-ran the course the weekend before to remind myself what those hills and what that humidity really feel like. And, as usual, I had my family with me. No Photographer, though :-(.
Pre-Race
I've wised up over the years, and told my mom that I wanted to leave 15 minutes earlier than I actually wanted to leave. And it worked! We were heading out by 5:15 and at the race site by 5:30! I rode alone to transition. I was one of the first on my rack and set my stuff up just the way I like it. I got my timing chip (body marking was done by Tri Tats, which I used for the first time at this race. I loved them!), aired up my tires, and headed out for a gentle warm up on the 4.5 mile bike loop.
When I got back, someone had moved my stuff. Seriously. She had picked up my towel, my shoes, my hat, and my race belt, and moved it to the side. So I picked it up and moved it back where it belonged. "I think you're supposed to put your stuff on the opposite side your bike is facing," she might have said (it's been a week and a half, and I don't remember exactly). "I know," I replied. "I did." There was definitely some hostility. But you just don't move another person's stuff, not without asking. If she would have asked me to scooch it over a bit, I totally would have (and I did move my stuff to take up less space as the rack filled up). I felt perfectly justified, though, as I was one of the first to get in to set up my transition space AND I was in the right space, as marked on the bike rack.
I scoped out my rack to see my competition. I felt good about my chances of kicking some serious tri tail.
Swim: 1000 m in 21:34 (22:29 in '08)
I guess I still improved over my 2008 time, so it's not all bad. But the swim was definitely the low point of the race for me. I have been hitting my pool intervals at 1:35-1:45/100 m, so I was optimistic about how this swim would go. But then I got attacked by monster woman triathletes! They must have been mammoth! In fact, they may have been zombie triathletes from the year before, trying to drag me under to join their foul brood!
Okay, that's hyperbolic. But a few did literally grab me and pull me under. Not intentionally, of course; nothing like that happens intentionally in a triathlon. It just happens. But it was a rough swim in the first 300-400 m, and it really affected me mentally. I got so smashed around, it was hard to establish a rhythm. In fact, I didn't really find a rhythm until well past the turn-around, and even then I was more disoriented than usual. Through that, though, I was fortunate not to have too much negative self-talk. I just chalked it up to positioning myself poorly for the start, and vowed to make up for it on the bike. And I still came out twelfth in my wave, sixteenth swim overall, so maybe everyone had kind of a rough time.
T1: 1:30 (1:41 in '08)
There's a long run up to the bike racks from the boat ramp, which accounts for the long transition time. Fourth female overall in T1, though, and I passed two women in T1!
Bike: 18 mi in 56:24 (1:00:14 in '08)
This was my greatest area of improvement, and where I made up the most time on my competitors. I rode fifth fastest of all the women.
I don't remember much of the bike ride. I was in the zone. I could hear music playing in my head, and I matched my cadence to the beat, changing mental tracks on the uphills, downhills, and flats. I counted women as I passed them, until I lost track on the third lap, when I started passing the women who were riding the short course. I speculated as to how many women were ahead of me, at that point (seven).
Last time I did this race, I forgot to pull my feet out of my shoes before I hit transition. This year, I remembered, but just barely. I was pulling my feet out as I came into the chute for the finish. Some poor girl came into the chute just behind me, but couldn't pass me (no passing before the dismount) as I slowed down to undo my feet. Sorry, friend!
I am so, so happy with the way my bike ride went.
T2: 52 seconds (1:05 in '08)
Ranked tenth, among women. Meh.
Run: 42:11 (46:44 in '08)
This is not a fantastic run. It's about 9:20/mile. Not a great time. But you know what? I was pretty happy with it! It represents a big improvement over what I did last time, and still leaves me with plenty of room to improve. And it was still faster than two-thirds of the other women, almost, so whoopee!
My bike ride set me up for big problems on the run. I'd debated whether or not I should put Nuun in my water bottle, since I was only taking one. I should have. I could feel myself start to cramp up after the second lap on the bike, right before I took my Powergel (I felt almost immediately better). By the time I hit the run, my electrolytes were depleted again, and I was in for a rough ride. More than half of the course runs you through the gorgeous Steamway Trail area, which is unfortunately in something of a minor valley. It's hot and humid in the valley, oppressive conditions for a July run, even if it is at 8:30 a.m. With my electrolytes down, I found myself really hurting once the trail dipped into that valley. I admit it: I had to stop and walk a couple of times. My quads were cramping badly. It was torture trying to push myself back uphill. Fortunately, once I was up that big hill, the air had more cool in it, and I was only half a mile from the finish line.
I did the first two miles of the run in about sixteen minutes, so that gives you an idea of how much I slowed down over the last two miles.
My finish did not include a big sprint to the line. By the time I hit the line, it was all I could do to keep my legs going at the same pace I had.
Total: 2:02:29 (2:12:12 in '08), 3rd F 25-29, and 12th F overall!
I was very happy with this race. Unlike El Dorado, where I was absolutely CONVINCED that I should have done better than I did, this race left me with the feeling that I had given it my all. I beat myself by 10 minutes from the last time I did Shawnee Mission, and I beat 60 of the 72 women I was racing (including the girl who moved my stuff in transition, not that that's important).
I was very hot and my tummy was not happy when I finished. I had a nasty blister on my left ankle, too, a really deep one. I left my Kinvaras at El Dorado Lake after the triathlon there, so I had to buy a new pair two weeks out from Shawnee Mission. I got the Saucony Fastwitch, which I like, but I think I should have bought them a size bigger. I lubed my ankle and the back of my shoe really well, but I think it just made it worse. I'm not sure what to do about it, running sockless. Ideally, I would just buy another pair of new shoes. But that's not really practical.
This was a great race, and I had fun! As always, I appreciated the support of my family. They are always proud of me, no matter how I feel about myself. And they are even willing to wake up at 4:45 a.m.!
Pre-Race
I've wised up over the years, and told my mom that I wanted to leave 15 minutes earlier than I actually wanted to leave. And it worked! We were heading out by 5:15 and at the race site by 5:30! I rode alone to transition. I was one of the first on my rack and set my stuff up just the way I like it. I got my timing chip (body marking was done by Tri Tats, which I used for the first time at this race. I loved them!), aired up my tires, and headed out for a gentle warm up on the 4.5 mile bike loop.
When I got back, someone had moved my stuff. Seriously. She had picked up my towel, my shoes, my hat, and my race belt, and moved it to the side. So I picked it up and moved it back where it belonged. "I think you're supposed to put your stuff on the opposite side your bike is facing," she might have said (it's been a week and a half, and I don't remember exactly). "I know," I replied. "I did." There was definitely some hostility. But you just don't move another person's stuff, not without asking. If she would have asked me to scooch it over a bit, I totally would have (and I did move my stuff to take up less space as the rack filled up). I felt perfectly justified, though, as I was one of the first to get in to set up my transition space AND I was in the right space, as marked on the bike rack.
I scoped out my rack to see my competition. I felt good about my chances of kicking some serious tri tail.
Swim: 1000 m in 21:34 (22:29 in '08)
I guess I still improved over my 2008 time, so it's not all bad. But the swim was definitely the low point of the race for me. I have been hitting my pool intervals at 1:35-1:45/100 m, so I was optimistic about how this swim would go. But then I got attacked by monster woman triathletes! They must have been mammoth! In fact, they may have been zombie triathletes from the year before, trying to drag me under to join their foul brood!
Okay, that's hyperbolic. But a few did literally grab me and pull me under. Not intentionally, of course; nothing like that happens intentionally in a triathlon. It just happens. But it was a rough swim in the first 300-400 m, and it really affected me mentally. I got so smashed around, it was hard to establish a rhythm. In fact, I didn't really find a rhythm until well past the turn-around, and even then I was more disoriented than usual. Through that, though, I was fortunate not to have too much negative self-talk. I just chalked it up to positioning myself poorly for the start, and vowed to make up for it on the bike. And I still came out twelfth in my wave, sixteenth swim overall, so maybe everyone had kind of a rough time.
T1: 1:30 (1:41 in '08)
There's a long run up to the bike racks from the boat ramp, which accounts for the long transition time. Fourth female overall in T1, though, and I passed two women in T1!
Bike: 18 mi in 56:24 (1:00:14 in '08)
This was my greatest area of improvement, and where I made up the most time on my competitors. I rode fifth fastest of all the women.
I don't remember much of the bike ride. I was in the zone. I could hear music playing in my head, and I matched my cadence to the beat, changing mental tracks on the uphills, downhills, and flats. I counted women as I passed them, until I lost track on the third lap, when I started passing the women who were riding the short course. I speculated as to how many women were ahead of me, at that point (seven).
Last time I did this race, I forgot to pull my feet out of my shoes before I hit transition. This year, I remembered, but just barely. I was pulling my feet out as I came into the chute for the finish. Some poor girl came into the chute just behind me, but couldn't pass me (no passing before the dismount) as I slowed down to undo my feet. Sorry, friend!
I am so, so happy with the way my bike ride went.
T2: 52 seconds (1:05 in '08)
Ranked tenth, among women. Meh.
Run: 42:11 (46:44 in '08)
This is not a fantastic run. It's about 9:20/mile. Not a great time. But you know what? I was pretty happy with it! It represents a big improvement over what I did last time, and still leaves me with plenty of room to improve. And it was still faster than two-thirds of the other women, almost, so whoopee!
My bike ride set me up for big problems on the run. I'd debated whether or not I should put Nuun in my water bottle, since I was only taking one. I should have. I could feel myself start to cramp up after the second lap on the bike, right before I took my Powergel (I felt almost immediately better). By the time I hit the run, my electrolytes were depleted again, and I was in for a rough ride. More than half of the course runs you through the gorgeous Steamway Trail area, which is unfortunately in something of a minor valley. It's hot and humid in the valley, oppressive conditions for a July run, even if it is at 8:30 a.m. With my electrolytes down, I found myself really hurting once the trail dipped into that valley. I admit it: I had to stop and walk a couple of times. My quads were cramping badly. It was torture trying to push myself back uphill. Fortunately, once I was up that big hill, the air had more cool in it, and I was only half a mile from the finish line.
I did the first two miles of the run in about sixteen minutes, so that gives you an idea of how much I slowed down over the last two miles.
My finish did not include a big sprint to the line. By the time I hit the line, it was all I could do to keep my legs going at the same pace I had.
Total: 2:02:29 (2:12:12 in '08), 3rd F 25-29, and 12th F overall!
I was very happy with this race. Unlike El Dorado, where I was absolutely CONVINCED that I should have done better than I did, this race left me with the feeling that I had given it my all. I beat myself by 10 minutes from the last time I did Shawnee Mission, and I beat 60 of the 72 women I was racing (including the girl who moved my stuff in transition, not that that's important).
I was very hot and my tummy was not happy when I finished. I had a nasty blister on my left ankle, too, a really deep one. I left my Kinvaras at El Dorado Lake after the triathlon there, so I had to buy a new pair two weeks out from Shawnee Mission. I got the Saucony Fastwitch, which I like, but I think I should have bought them a size bigger. I lubed my ankle and the back of my shoe really well, but I think it just made it worse. I'm not sure what to do about it, running sockless. Ideally, I would just buy another pair of new shoes. But that's not really practical.
This was a great race, and I had fun! As always, I appreciated the support of my family. They are always proud of me, no matter how I feel about myself. And they are even willing to wake up at 4:45 a.m.!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Race Report: Shawnee Mission '09
I experienced something at this race that I've never experienced before.
Cancelation.
Yes, Shawnee Mission was completely and decidedly rained out. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. There was thunder and lightning that made me regret being outside, and this is coming from a Kansan who has experienced lightning and thunder and softball sized hail and tornado threats and snow gales the likes of which most coastal Americans will never see. And I'm not really interested in risking my life to do a race, even if it is one of the most highly-anticipated races on my schedule. The cancelation was a good call.
But it sure sucks.
And the worst part is that this is totally a momentum buster, season-wise. I was supposed to have two peak weekends, back to back. Now I only have one. Bummer.
Cancelation.
Yes, Shawnee Mission was completely and decidedly rained out. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. There was thunder and lightning that made me regret being outside, and this is coming from a Kansan who has experienced lightning and thunder and softball sized hail and tornado threats and snow gales the likes of which most coastal Americans will never see. And I'm not really interested in risking my life to do a race, even if it is one of the most highly-anticipated races on my schedule. The cancelation was a good call.
But it sure sucks.
And the worst part is that this is totally a momentum buster, season-wise. I was supposed to have two peak weekends, back to back. Now I only have one. Bummer.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Pre-Race: Shawnee Mission '09
I haven't been very good about updating lately, have I? My apologies. Haven't felt up to writing, I guess. Not that I'm too busy, really . . . just have nothing to say.
Coming up on my fourth running of the Shawnee Mission Triathlon. It was the first race I ever did (and finished next-to-last), and so it's a special time in my race schedule, every year. I don't have concrete goals for this race, except that I want to be faster than last year. I have expectations: I expect that I'll be able to beat my swim, bike, and run times from last year. I expect that I'll have a better sense of how much energy to reserve for the run; I expect that I'll move up in the rankings, this year.
But the most important expectation is that I will enjoy myself more. Last year, about this time, I was starting to get really, really burnt out. I've guarded myself pretty well against that this time, I think. I've learned lessons from the last few years that have made this season go so much smoother--I think the most important one was having a "big-deal" kind of race, then taking a little time off immediately after to mentally recharge and refocus. That time off after IM KS has really made a difference in my training, this past month. I feel like I've been able to sharpen myself, and have held onto that objective in almost every workout. It's enabled me to have more of a sense of purpose.
This time last year, I wrote time goals for myself. But for now I'll just write the previous times I posted on this course and tell you that this year I will be much, much faster.
Swim: 1000 m in 22:29 (2:14/100 m)
Bike: 18 mi in 1:00:14 (18 MPH)
Run: 4.5 mi in 46:44 (10:23/mi)
Total: 2:12:12 (28/58, 2nd F 20-24)
I'm excited; I think I can do well. I look forward to giving a good report.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Race Report: Shawnee Mission '08
First off . . .
And now that that's out of the way, let me tell you about the race!
Pre-Race
I was simultaneously nervous and confident about this race. I knew that I was prepared. I knew that I had trained well. I was confident in my ability to complete the race. But I didn't know if I could finish in the time and placement that I really wanted. I was afraid even to voice my goals, for fear that I would destroy myself from the inside out if I didn't meet them.
Of course, I covered all of that up with swaggering bravado. I acted like I knew I was going to win the race, even though I was in profound doubt of my availability to compete in this field. I spent our extra day in Kansas City (which we should do every year, by the way) cool and confident, for the most part having put the race into a small, jittery corner of my brain.
First thing I did after waking Sunday morning was take a shower. I'd never done that before. It felt amazingly invigorating to have a hot shower. And I'd had problems with stiffness and cramping all week, so the pulsing of the water on my neck and shoulders helped to loosen me up. My parents came with me on this trip, and I fidgeted as they gathered their things. We headed to the race site around 5:50, about 20 minutes later than I had hoped. I kept yanking my mind away from thoughts along the lines of "Ack! I'm running late!" No reason to dwell on it if it happens. Race plan won't always go tic-toc as I want it to. I put my ipod on and listened to my pre-game music, tuned the rest of the world out, and got excited to race.
It took me all of 5 minutes to set up transition, another 10 to get body marked and be-chipped, then I got out on the course for a quick bike warm-up. I had to keep reining myself in on the bike, reminding myself to soft-pedal up the hills, that there would be plenty of time for racing later. The air was cool--almost chilly--and refreshing as I pedaled around the lake. Mist rose off the surface of the lake and fog blanketed the meadows. I passed deer. It was a beautiful morning to be out on a bike.
It was 5 minutes to 7:00 when I got back into transition, which left no time for a short run. Instead, I grabbed my goggles and my swim cap and hopped into the lake to swim over to the start. I got a decent warm up in, then settled into the water (because the air felt downright cold) to wait for the first three heats to go.
Swim
Somehow, I ended up at the front. Not near the front or towards the front; in the very, very front. One of the women I coach was at this race, and she's a quick swimmer, so I stood with her. I figured everyone could pass me if they wanted to.
And they did.
I don't know what was wrong with me this time, but I got passed by everyone. In the first 50-100 meters, I put on a sprint, trying to get past the crowd. And everyone else sprinted past me like I was standing still! It bothered me a little bit, that my swim was so obviously mediocre, but I couldn't dwell on it because I had to race.
The crowd got past me within 200 meters. I got hold of a couple ankles, and had a few full-on body grabs (let's call them accidental hugs), but past the first quarter of the swim, I didn't really have any trouble.
Except for this one chick who was swimming the exact same pace as me. Seriously. We were going stroke for stroke. And I don't swim perfectly straight. And I'm absolutely POSITIVE that she wasn't swimming straight. Which meant that every four strokes or so one of us HIT the other one. And I couldn't get away from her! I tried to pass her and couldn't. I tried to swim farther off to the side and she followed me. Eventually, I let her go around me.
And hopped onto her feet. I probably got a couple hundred meters free from her before I started hitting her feet, realized that she was slowing down, and went around her. I didn't look back to check on her after that--I was in clear water and was enjoying it!--but I'm pretty sure she drafted off me for the rest of the race, because we came into transition at about the same time.
Goal: 18:30; Time: 22:29; Last year: 23:04
T1: 1:41
Bike: 18 miles
Every year, I forget what a ball-buster this course is. Seriously. There are 5-6 hills (depending on whether you count the Dam Hill as one or two), which wouldn't be such a big deal if it weren't on a 4.5 MILE LOOP. IN KANSAS. North-eastern Kansas, but still. KANSAS. So every year I think I'm so much stronger (and I am) and I'll ride so much better (and I do), but the course absolutely kicks my ass. And this year was no exception.
I went out too hard. I always go out too hard. It's difficult not to, when you start off on a slight downhill then cruise through the flats at 23 MPH. Then this little hill appears before you and you think, "Oh, that's not so bad. Look at how short it is! I'll have no problem powering up that thing." So you start climbing, maybe shift down a few gears to keep up a good cadence. But you keep going. Because it's steep, but it's short, right?
Yeah, sure. Except that first hill--the Infamous and Almighty Dam Hill (just ask anyone who's ever done this race about it; they'll know exactly what you're talking about)--is positioned on the second big curve of a circular course. So as you're climbing along (la di da di da), you round this corner and HOLY CRAP THERE'S MORE OF IT. So you re-evaluate, maybe drop another gear and settle in for a steady climb, but still a relatively short climb. Not short enough to power up it, but short enough not to be concerned. Except when you get over the hill, you see maybe 50 yards of nice, flat pavement before there's ANOTHER hill.
And then you spend the rest of the 4.5 mile loop trying to get your heart rate to come back down from that first hill.
So that's the course.
I felt like I pushed a little too hard coming out of T1, but I settled into my pace by the third lap. I was frustrated by how weak my climbing was (which I'm sure is not helped any by the aluminum and steel masterpiece that I ride). There were two women whom I kept passing in the flats only to be dropped on the climbs. One of these women was in my age group, which was particularly frustrating. I spent entirely too much time looking at her ass (which wasn't necessarily a terrible view).
In the end, I came off the bike feeling like I had done my best. But I wish that my best was better.
Goal: 1:00; Time: 1:00:14 (18 MPH); Last year: 1:05:02 (16.6 MPH)
T2: 1:05; Last year: 50 seconds
Run: 4.5 miles
I don't know if you guys have picked up on this, but I'm not a strong runner. I don't think that I particularly like running. I have an awful lot of trouble getting myself psyched up to go propel myself along the ground for 8 miles. Or 4 miles. Or anything more than 2 miles, really. I would rather be biking. Or swimming. Or lifting weights. Or going to the dentist. Okay, maybe not the dentist. And I do tend to enjoy myself once I get going. It's that initial push to get myself out the door that keeps me from running.
Anyway, I am generally not thrilled to get to the running part. And this race was no exception. The hardest part for me was coming out of transition and seeing a girl in my age group running away from me. I had thoughts of going after her; I accelerated to keep her within my sights. But I knew that if I tried to hold that pace, I would blow up after two miles, if not one. So I settled in and ran my own race. Le sigh.
Another thing I conveniently forgot was that the run course is almost as difficult as the bike course. First off, there's the Dam Hill again. Keep in mind, the run course and the bike course are not the same (even though they are both 4.5 miles). Which means that some sadistic bastard decided to route the run course up the Dam Hill for no good reason other than to make people suffer and want to die.
I suffered. I wanted to die.
But I didn't frickin' walk (I started to, but then it hurt so bad that I went back to running).
I definitely felt better about my run, this year. I felt like I held a good pace, ran my own race, and didn't wimp out too badly. But I also felt like I never really pushed through the general hurt and whiny-ness into new territory, which--come to think of it--has been my complaint about the past few races I've done.
The last mile of the run course includes three hills that aren't particularly long or steep, but at that point in the race feel. so. mean. I accelerated on the last one, only to find that SOMEONE (probably the same sicko who thought it would be a good idea to put the Dam Hill on the run course) had MOVED THE FINISH LINE! I swear, it was right at the top of the hill last year! This year, after topping the hill, I had to pick it up for another 100 yards!
Which, to tell you the truth, I loved. It gave me a chance to kick it at the end, sprint across the finish line, and empty the tank (figuratively speaking, although I did warn the volunteer who removed my timing chip to watch out). I love sprinting to the end. Downside of that sprint is that I don't pay enough attention with it; I do it because I love it, not because I'm trying to pass someone at the last second. Looking at the results, woman # 27 finished four seconds faster than me. Which means that if I had been paying more attention, I probably could have out-sprinted her and moved myself up one spot. Which isn't a big deal, really, except that then I would have been able to brag to you all about how I out-kicked someone in my race.
Goal: 41:30; Time: 46:44 (10:23/mile); Last year: 52:48 (11:44/mile)
Total: 2:12:12; Last year: 2:22:44
2nd place F 22-24; 28/58 overall
Not bad, I think. Knocked 10 minutes off of last year's time. I guess I'm pretty proud of that. I finished in the top half, which makes me much happier than last year's 47th place (out of 56). And hey! I got a trophy! I must say, I am very, very happy about the trophy.
And that's the biggest difference between this year and last: It's not enough for me to finish, or even to PR--I want to win. I really, really like winning. Don't know why. Not particularly competitive (at least I don't think I am). Never cared that much before. Maybe this drive to win is symptomatic of some deeper issue, like I need the affirmation of total strangers to make up for . . . something.
Or maybe I just really like to kick some ass.
I'll end by saying that this season began too early, with Shawnee Mission being my peak race. I feel tired and lackluster. My body is cramping up (and crapping out). I lack motivation for workouts (especially of the running kind). And it's not just overtraining; it's burnout. Even writing this race report, I can feel it. The writing lacks something. Soul. Passion. Desire.
In short, it is time for a break. I will continue to race, but with minimal training. My next project will be my first ever marathon (which is the perfect project for someone who's not overly fond of running, no?). But until my training for that endeavor begins, I'm going to lay low, rest as much as possible . . .
And write :-)
Friday, July 11, 2008
Pre-Race: Shawnee Mission
This is the big one. I have been looking forward to this race all year long. This is why I have been training. This is the race I've been thinking of when I need something to get me through the hard workouts. This is the one I've been dreaming of and mentally rehearsing since January (if not since last July).
This is the one I want to win.
But I'm not sure I can.
I hate to even give voice to that doubt. Really, how can I expect to win if I don't (you know) expect to win? I'm wondering now if I've done too little. If I've done too much. If I'm under- or overtrained. If I didn't hold back enough and peaked too soon. If I'll be able even to run, or if I'll just have to walk the whole damn thing.
In short, I'm more unsure about this race than I've ever been about anything.
With the possible exception of the first time I did it.
Goals
First place in 22-24 F age group
Top ten women overall
Swim: 1000 m, 18:30
Bike: 18 mi, 1:00
Run: 4.5 mi, 41:30
This is the one I want to win.
But I'm not sure I can.
I hate to even give voice to that doubt. Really, how can I expect to win if I don't (you know) expect to win? I'm wondering now if I've done too little. If I've done too much. If I'm under- or overtrained. If I didn't hold back enough and peaked too soon. If I'll be able even to run, or if I'll just have to walk the whole damn thing.
In short, I'm more unsure about this race than I've ever been about anything.
With the possible exception of the first time I did it.
Goals
First place in 22-24 F age group
Top ten women overall
Swim: 1000 m, 18:30
Bike: 18 mi, 1:00
Run: 4.5 mi, 41:30
Thursday, July 10, 2008
T minus 3
Pre-race.11:20. Have to be up in 5 hours.
All I can think is
I can I can I can I can.
I will I will I will I will.
And, as one of my athletes reminded me this evening, I am strong and well-prepared.
I can.
And I will.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Uphills
About 1/2 a mile from my place of work, there is a hill. Please understand the significance of this statement; I live in central Kansas. This might be the only hill within a 5 mile radius (not including highway on-ramps and the sledding hill in Sedgwick County Park). It's not a particularly big hill or a particularly long hill. But this morning it was enough to set me off. I was driving up this tiny hill after lunch when my mind shot out of my body and onto the race course at Shawnee Mission.
The Shawnee Mission Triathlon bike course is somewhat notorious in these parts, a gruesomely hilly 4.5 mile loop which competitors (on the long course) must repeat four times--a quartet of cardiac-arresting climbs, followed by a brief 1/2 mile of flat terrain before repeating the whole thing. Okay, really it's not that bad. The total elevation gain is like 400-450 feet per loop (1800 total feet climbed), and I've definitely raced more difficult courses than that (Pumpkinman, for one, and soon Wildflower). But it feels like a lot of climbing, especially when you already know what's waiting for you on the next three loops.
All of which is beside the point. Because when I was driving up that teeny tiny baby hill this afternoon, I wasn't thinking about how difficult all that climbing will be, or how much it's going to hurt, or how lame I am for thinking 400 feet of elevation gain is even that much. In that moment, I got that sinking, bubbly feeling in my stomach that's sort of like being slightly too buzzed.
It's the feeling of simultaneously thinking "I can't believe I get to do this again!" and "Why the hell am I doing this again?" It's the same feeling that you have the night/week/month before a race when you know you need to sleep but you can't seem to. It's the feeling that makes you pace and posture and get to transition two and a half hours before the race starts.
It's the feeling that fills port-a-johns.
And it's here, already, more than three months away from Shawnee Mission, still two weeks out from my first race of the season.
I really want this one, guys; it's what it's all about, this year.
The Shawnee Mission Triathlon bike course is somewhat notorious in these parts, a gruesomely hilly 4.5 mile loop which competitors (on the long course) must repeat four times--a quartet of cardiac-arresting climbs, followed by a brief 1/2 mile of flat terrain before repeating the whole thing. Okay, really it's not that bad. The total elevation gain is like 400-450 feet per loop (1800 total feet climbed), and I've definitely raced more difficult courses than that (Pumpkinman, for one, and soon Wildflower). But it feels like a lot of climbing, especially when you already know what's waiting for you on the next three loops.
All of which is beside the point. Because when I was driving up that teeny tiny baby hill this afternoon, I wasn't thinking about how difficult all that climbing will be, or how much it's going to hurt, or how lame I am for thinking 400 feet of elevation gain is even that much. In that moment, I got that sinking, bubbly feeling in my stomach that's sort of like being slightly too buzzed.
It's the feeling of simultaneously thinking "I can't believe I get to do this again!" and "Why the hell am I doing this again?" It's the same feeling that you have the night/week/month before a race when you know you need to sleep but you can't seem to. It's the feeling that makes you pace and posture and get to transition two and a half hours before the race starts.
It's the feeling that fills port-a-johns.
And it's here, already, more than three months away from Shawnee Mission, still two weeks out from my first race of the season.
I really want this one, guys; it's what it's all about, this year.Friday, July 13, 2007
Look!
Photos, courtesy of my dad and my new (awesome) camera!
Pre-race
Reppin' USC!
Swim
I've never seen a close-up picture of myself swimming. It makes me aware that I need to work on my recovery.
T1
Man, I wish I hadn't run so hard coming out of the water. That hurt.
Bike
I swear there was more uphill than downhill on this course. I don't know how that's possible on a circular loop, but I swear it's true.
T2
Totally rocking transition
I'd like to mention that my race number ripped off my belt in transition, which is why it's on crooked here.
Run
Oh, so much pain . . .
Hanging with Sarah Reinersten!
Who is a USC grad, by the way.
Please, do not expect me to do anything for the next five or six hours
Pre-race
Reppin' USC!
Swim
I've never seen a close-up picture of myself swimming. It makes me aware that I need to work on my recovery.
T1
Man, I wish I hadn't run so hard coming out of the water. That hurt.
Bike
I swear there was more uphill than downhill on this course. I don't know how that's possible on a circular loop, but I swear it's true.
T2
Totally rocking transition
I'd like to mention that my race number ripped off my belt in transition, which is why it's on crooked here.
Run
Oh, so much pain . . .
Hanging with Sarah Reinersten!
Who is a USC grad, by the way.
Please, do not expect me to do anything for the next five or six hours
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Race Report: Shawnee Mission
Honestly, I haven't wanted to do this. My race didn't exactly go as well as I wanted it to. Well, in a way it did. Right after the race, I felt okay about it. I knew that I had given what I had to give. I knew (from my heart rate monitor) that I worked as hard as was reasonable for most of the race (and sometimes harder).
But upon reviewing my results, I've been supremely disappointed. That's not how I trained. Those speeds are not what I was prepared to race. And I keep telling myself that I've still improved by leaps and bounds over last year's performance. And that I've only been doing this for a year, and that I can't possibly compete against people who have been building an aerobic base for the last 10 to 20 years. And that I gave all that I had.
But I wish I had more to give.
Swim
Last year: 24:18
This year: 23:04
I have to say, I was very pleased with my swim. Standing in the water, waiting for the start, I was confident, excited, and calm. I think that, in terms of race preparation and mental state, this was my strongest start ever. I knew that, even though I'm a fairly slow swimmer (2:18/100? My goal would be 1:45/100), I can be a lot more competitive as a swimmer in Kansas, as opposed to California (where everyone, at some point, was on a swim, water polo, or synchronized swim team). So I stood in the front, and figured if anyone wanted to go around me, I'd rather they have to swim around me than I have to swim around them. But this swim was the first one where I'd really felt the infamous aggression of triathlon open swim starts. I was hitting someone or being hit (but more of the former, sorry fellow competitors!) for most of the 1000 meters. It was actually kind of fun, but a little frustrating while trying to swim around (sometimes over) someone else. I tried not to be too mean; I know how I would feel if I got mauled and passed in the space of a minute. Anyway, long story short, I had the 41st fastest swim (out of 57).
T1
Last year: 3:48
This year: 1:02
7th fastest.
Bike
Last year: 93:50 (11.5 MPH)
This year: 65:02 (16.6 MPH)
The day before (as I drove the course), I realized that I may have made a misjudgment of the course. Because I was so slow and undertrained last year, I built this idea that the course wasn't that hard; it was just my perception. Besides, when you're averaging 11.5 MPH, the smallest hills become mountains. But there are some sizable, very intimidating hills on that course. And I had to do each of them 4 times. And I simply wasn't in climbing shape. To be fair, there is absolutely no way to train hills around Wichita; we don't have any! But that wasn't very comforting when my speed dropped to 5 MPH on the Dam Hill (which lives in infamy for all Shawnee Mission Triathletes!). At any rate, my 40 MPH downhill speed and 26 MPH cruising speed (which I was able to sustain for the 1 mile of flat road at the end and 1/2 mile at the beginning of each loop) couldn't make up for my embarassingly slow ascents. 36th fastest time. But at least I wasn't the last one on the course this year!
T2
Last year: 1:39
This year: 0:50
Fifth fastest time!
Run
Last year: 55:26 (12:21/mile)
This year: 52:48 (11:54/mile)
When I looked up my results the other night, this was my biggest disappointment. I haven't run so slowly since Cal Poly, in March. Since then, I've broken my 10:00/mile a couple of times. And I've run most of my training runs closer to 9:20. Even on my brick workouts, I've been running 10:00 or 10:30, but never 11:54. Again, the course was harder than I remembered. Harder and hotter. Last year, I was just focused on keeping my legs moving, so much so that I never noticed the hills (we had to run up the Dam Hill, as well). And last year it was raining, so I never knew that most of the course is exposed to the sun at 10:00 a.m. The heat was just miserable. For the first time, I really, really wished that I had a fuel belt or a water bottle along on the run. I think if I had been better hydrated, I would have been better able to keep my heartrate down. My heart rate, by the way, stayed right around 181. Which makes me think that I've probably trained my lactate threshold higher. Because it was at around 184, but I stayed right below that for almost an hour. I was pretty excited thinking about that during the run. The course ended on a decent-sized hill. So that was fun, to run up that at the end. My HR climbed to 194, which (I'm pretty sure) is the highest it's ever been. I wanted to die, after that. I thought I was going to fall down and then throw up and then fall down some more.
But you know, writing it all out again, reliving it in my mind, I feel pretty good about it. Yes, I didn't achieve my goal of reaching the podium, or of being in the top 10 women . . . I didn't even meet my goal time. But I did go out there and I worked as hard as I could. Yes, I wish that could have been harder; I wish my body would have had a little more to give. But I gave what I had. I performed my best on Sunday. So I'm pretty proud of that.
Final
Last year: 2:59:10
This year: 2:22:44
Overall, I've seen a lot of improvement. I still have room to grow. And I keep remembering what one of my tri buddies said after UCLA's reverse sprint. We were looking at the results and he told me, "You know, out of everyone on the team, I think you're the one who's improved the most. And in a couple of years, you're going to be a really competitive age grouper." So yeah. I'm still improving. I took more than half an hour off my time from last year. I got to the start confident, calm, and collected. I rocked my transitions. I finished strong. These things have come with experience, practice, and hard work. So I'm going to keep working and racing, and I'm going to be back next year stronger and faster.
I am no longer a tri neophyte.
But upon reviewing my results, I've been supremely disappointed. That's not how I trained. Those speeds are not what I was prepared to race. And I keep telling myself that I've still improved by leaps and bounds over last year's performance. And that I've only been doing this for a year, and that I can't possibly compete against people who have been building an aerobic base for the last 10 to 20 years. And that I gave all that I had.
But I wish I had more to give.
Swim
Last year: 24:18
This year: 23:04
I have to say, I was very pleased with my swim. Standing in the water, waiting for the start, I was confident, excited, and calm. I think that, in terms of race preparation and mental state, this was my strongest start ever. I knew that, even though I'm a fairly slow swimmer (2:18/100? My goal would be 1:45/100), I can be a lot more competitive as a swimmer in Kansas, as opposed to California (where everyone, at some point, was on a swim, water polo, or synchronized swim team). So I stood in the front, and figured if anyone wanted to go around me, I'd rather they have to swim around me than I have to swim around them. But this swim was the first one where I'd really felt the infamous aggression of triathlon open swim starts. I was hitting someone or being hit (but more of the former, sorry fellow competitors!) for most of the 1000 meters. It was actually kind of fun, but a little frustrating while trying to swim around (sometimes over) someone else. I tried not to be too mean; I know how I would feel if I got mauled and passed in the space of a minute. Anyway, long story short, I had the 41st fastest swim (out of 57).
T1
Last year: 3:48
This year: 1:02
7th fastest.
Bike
Last year: 93:50 (11.5 MPH)
This year: 65:02 (16.6 MPH)
The day before (as I drove the course), I realized that I may have made a misjudgment of the course. Because I was so slow and undertrained last year, I built this idea that the course wasn't that hard; it was just my perception. Besides, when you're averaging 11.5 MPH, the smallest hills become mountains. But there are some sizable, very intimidating hills on that course. And I had to do each of them 4 times. And I simply wasn't in climbing shape. To be fair, there is absolutely no way to train hills around Wichita; we don't have any! But that wasn't very comforting when my speed dropped to 5 MPH on the Dam Hill (which lives in infamy for all Shawnee Mission Triathletes!). At any rate, my 40 MPH downhill speed and 26 MPH cruising speed (which I was able to sustain for the 1 mile of flat road at the end and 1/2 mile at the beginning of each loop) couldn't make up for my embarassingly slow ascents. 36th fastest time. But at least I wasn't the last one on the course this year!
T2
Last year: 1:39
This year: 0:50
Fifth fastest time!
Run
Last year: 55:26 (12:21/mile)
This year: 52:48 (11:54/mile)
When I looked up my results the other night, this was my biggest disappointment. I haven't run so slowly since Cal Poly, in March. Since then, I've broken my 10:00/mile a couple of times. And I've run most of my training runs closer to 9:20. Even on my brick workouts, I've been running 10:00 or 10:30, but never 11:54. Again, the course was harder than I remembered. Harder and hotter. Last year, I was just focused on keeping my legs moving, so much so that I never noticed the hills (we had to run up the Dam Hill, as well). And last year it was raining, so I never knew that most of the course is exposed to the sun at 10:00 a.m. The heat was just miserable. For the first time, I really, really wished that I had a fuel belt or a water bottle along on the run. I think if I had been better hydrated, I would have been better able to keep my heartrate down. My heart rate, by the way, stayed right around 181. Which makes me think that I've probably trained my lactate threshold higher. Because it was at around 184, but I stayed right below that for almost an hour. I was pretty excited thinking about that during the run. The course ended on a decent-sized hill. So that was fun, to run up that at the end. My HR climbed to 194, which (I'm pretty sure) is the highest it's ever been. I wanted to die, after that. I thought I was going to fall down and then throw up and then fall down some more.
But you know, writing it all out again, reliving it in my mind, I feel pretty good about it. Yes, I didn't achieve my goal of reaching the podium, or of being in the top 10 women . . . I didn't even meet my goal time. But I did go out there and I worked as hard as I could. Yes, I wish that could have been harder; I wish my body would have had a little more to give. But I gave what I had. I performed my best on Sunday. So I'm pretty proud of that.
Final
Last year: 2:59:10
This year: 2:22:44
Overall, I've seen a lot of improvement. I still have room to grow. And I keep remembering what one of my tri buddies said after UCLA's reverse sprint. We were looking at the results and he told me, "You know, out of everyone on the team, I think you're the one who's improved the most. And in a couple of years, you're going to be a really competitive age grouper." So yeah. I'm still improving. I took more than half an hour off my time from last year. I got to the start confident, calm, and collected. I rocked my transitions. I finished strong. These things have come with experience, practice, and hard work. So I'm going to keep working and racing, and I'm going to be back next year stronger and faster.
I am no longer a tri neophyte.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
T Minus 1
I'm off to Shawnee Mission for my priority race and final triathlon of the season. My muscles feel packed with glycogen, I've gone over my race checklist (twice!), and I've tuned, oiled, and tightened my bike. I'm feeling a little tight, especially in my legs (maybe I went too hard on my "easy" run yesterday). But I'll stretch it all out before we get in the car, and then again after we check into our hotel.
Race report forthcoming. See you then.
Race report forthcoming. See you then.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
T Minus 4
Rest yesterday, rest today. Easy run tomorrow with short, intense intervals (just to remind my legs what to do). And packing! Because on Saturday I get to go to Shawnee Mission!
In other news, I got a call from the Multisport director at Genesis, today. We'll be meeting on Monday to discuss the possibility of me taking over the West Central Multisport Club. Which would be awesome.
I don't know what I'm going to do for spinning class on Monday; I doubt I'm going to be able to maintain the level of intensity I would expect from my students. Maybe a climbing workout is the way to go. With lots of climbing, my heart rate won't climb as high as if we do a lot of speedwork. I'm sure my heart rate will still be much higher than normal, but I hope it won't be so high that I can't set an example for intensity for my class.
In other news, I got a call from the Multisport director at Genesis, today. We'll be meeting on Monday to discuss the possibility of me taking over the West Central Multisport Club. Which would be awesome.
I don't know what I'm going to do for spinning class on Monday; I doubt I'm going to be able to maintain the level of intensity I would expect from my students. Maybe a climbing workout is the way to go. With lots of climbing, my heart rate won't climb as high as if we do a lot of speedwork. I'm sure my heart rate will still be much higher than normal, but I hope it won't be so high that I can't set an example for intensity for my class.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Rounding it off
Shawnee Mission is so close I can taste it. I have trouble getting to sleep, envisioning race day. Mostly fantasizing about how much ass I am going to kick this year. Although I have to say I have little doubts sneaking in . . . In order to hit the top 10, I'm going to have to do the race in under 2 hours, if this year's field is anything like last year's. 20 minutes for 1000 meters is very ambitious for me. 18 MPH is (I think, at this point) entirely doable. And a sub-10:00 mile is . . . well, it might happen. But doing all of them together, with transitions and all, under 2 hours is very, very ambitious for me. And I find myself wondering . . . what if I'm not as good as I think I am? What if I'm not so fit? What if there's just too much depth in the field? Inevitably, I come to the conclusion that, whether I podium or not, whether or not I can claim the bragging rights of a top 10 overall finish, I will still kick ass. Because I am so, so, so much fitter this year than I was last year. And even if I don't kick everyone else's asses, I will still have kicked my own!
So with race day in clear view, I'm working in more bricks and some transition practice. Wednesday, I went to Pawnee Prairie Park (after picking my bike up at Bicycle Exchange, because one of my spokes broke and so I had that fixed) and did a 20-2 workout. 20 miles on the bike, 2 miles of beautiful trail running. I have to admit, I hadn't done a bike-run brick in a long time. Like, multiple weeks. I can't actually remember the last time I ran right off the bike, with the exception of races. Anyway, the brick was hell, I'm sure, but all I really remember was how completely awesome I felt after doing it. Not awesome as in, "Ah! I feel quite refreshed after that brisk jog!" More awesome like, "Yes! I am such a badass! Now get me into a shower."
I think the badass element is my favorite part of this sport.
Today, I've already done my 4-mile tempo run (39:18! yeah, sub-10-minute pace!) and I still have a swim-bike brick. So, with any luck, it won't rain and I'll be able to ride the 18 miles to Lake Afton, swim, and ride back. But even if it does start raining, I'll probably go. The only way I'd miss a workout, at this point, is for a full-on, thunder-and-lightning storm. Or a tornado, I suppose.
So with race day in clear view, I'm working in more bricks and some transition practice. Wednesday, I went to Pawnee Prairie Park (after picking my bike up at Bicycle Exchange, because one of my spokes broke and so I had that fixed) and did a 20-2 workout. 20 miles on the bike, 2 miles of beautiful trail running. I have to admit, I hadn't done a bike-run brick in a long time. Like, multiple weeks. I can't actually remember the last time I ran right off the bike, with the exception of races. Anyway, the brick was hell, I'm sure, but all I really remember was how completely awesome I felt after doing it. Not awesome as in, "Ah! I feel quite refreshed after that brisk jog!" More awesome like, "Yes! I am such a badass! Now get me into a shower."
I think the badass element is my favorite part of this sport.
Today, I've already done my 4-mile tempo run (39:18! yeah, sub-10-minute pace!) and I still have a swim-bike brick. So, with any luck, it won't rain and I'll be able to ride the 18 miles to Lake Afton, swim, and ride back. But even if it does start raining, I'll probably go. The only way I'd miss a workout, at this point, is for a full-on, thunder-and-lightning storm. Or a tornado, I suppose.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Checking In
Notes on the day:
Today is my first day back on training after a week of full recovery. I didn't intend to be so sedentary this past week. A combination of rain, wind, and no gym access has prevented my general training. Unfortunately, this week of recovery hasn't felt as good as I would like. I've been unexpectedly sore and achy, stiff and unenergetic. And then today I went for a 6-mile run and had an absolutely horrible time! I was running as slow as I reasonably could--12:00 min/mile--and my heartrate was still creeping up to 165, 170 bpm. And with my LSD runs, I would like to keep my heartrate under 150. But there was no in between; either I was walking until my heart rate came back down to 135 or I was running at 172. I couldn't run slowly enough to keep my heart rate down.
Normally, when my heartrate creeps up unreasonably like that, it's a symptom that I've been overtraining. But I just came off a week of recovery. The problem might be a lack of fitness, but I would be very surprised if I lost that much fitness so quickly, after just one week. So here's my theory: "‘That time of the month’ (or even the few days preceding it) is not the time when women run their worst. The hardest time for women to run fast is about a week before menstruation begins (a week after ovulation). That’s when levels of the key hormone progesterone peak, inducing a much-higher-than-normal breathing rate during exercise. The excess ventilation tends to make running feel more difficult." (link) I'm guessing that my decreased performance is related in some way to my menstrual cycle. At least, I hope it's that and not detraining.
I have two weeks of training left before I taper for Shawnee Mission. I'm starting to get nervous and excited. I really, really want to make the most out of these next two weeks, so that I'm at my absolute peak and can give my absolute best.
www.triathlon.org broadcasts live from its world cup ITU races. So I am watching the Round 7 race at Des Moines. Isn't great that we have the technology to be able to watch triathlons, track and field, swimming, and other sports ESPN thinks its too good for?
Today is my first day back on training after a week of full recovery. I didn't intend to be so sedentary this past week. A combination of rain, wind, and no gym access has prevented my general training. Unfortunately, this week of recovery hasn't felt as good as I would like. I've been unexpectedly sore and achy, stiff and unenergetic. And then today I went for a 6-mile run and had an absolutely horrible time! I was running as slow as I reasonably could--12:00 min/mile--and my heartrate was still creeping up to 165, 170 bpm. And with my LSD runs, I would like to keep my heartrate under 150. But there was no in between; either I was walking until my heart rate came back down to 135 or I was running at 172. I couldn't run slowly enough to keep my heart rate down.
Normally, when my heartrate creeps up unreasonably like that, it's a symptom that I've been overtraining. But I just came off a week of recovery. The problem might be a lack of fitness, but I would be very surprised if I lost that much fitness so quickly, after just one week. So here's my theory: "‘That time of the month’ (or even the few days preceding it) is not the time when women run their worst. The hardest time for women to run fast is about a week before menstruation begins (a week after ovulation). That’s when levels of the key hormone progesterone peak, inducing a much-higher-than-normal breathing rate during exercise. The excess ventilation tends to make running feel more difficult." (link) I'm guessing that my decreased performance is related in some way to my menstrual cycle. At least, I hope it's that and not detraining.
I have two weeks of training left before I taper for Shawnee Mission. I'm starting to get nervous and excited. I really, really want to make the most out of these next two weeks, so that I'm at my absolute peak and can give my absolute best.
www.triathlon.org broadcasts live from its world cup ITU races. So I am watching the Round 7 race at Des Moines. Isn't great that we have the technology to be able to watch triathlons, track and field, swimming, and other sports ESPN thinks its too good for?
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Pre-Race Jitters
My next race is still a month away. Isn't it a little early for me to be having nightmares about the race?
Here was my dream. I was at a major triathlon, finally. Some of the competitors were staying in an elementary school gymnasium to save on a hotel. But it was really, really packed. Like cattle in stalls. Or . . . no, actually, I think the gym was part of a transition area. We had to run into the gym and get the stuff we needed for the bike, then run back out to our bikes and take off from there. Our running shoes were in a big pile across from the bike racks. And this was the race in which I wanted to be really competitive. But it didn't start well. I was warming up my swim in the lap pool (may have even been in the gym...) to, well, get warm, but also to check and make sure that my goggles (which I slammed in my car door at Lake Afton last week) still sealed properly. Good timing, right before the race start, right? And I only did one, 25-yard lap, which is a stupidly short warm up. Then I got out and wanted to change for the start of the race. Moments before the race starts, I'm not in my race kit. I'm wearing a swimming suit, nothing else. So I started pulling on my race kit over the swimming suit, and said casually to another competitor, "This is a great sport for buying tons of clothes, eh?" because I was wearing like four different layers at this point. Not only did she not laugh at my joke, she looked at me and suggested that I leave a couple layers behind. Then went off to the starting line. So I vacillated for a few minutes, taking things halfway off, pausing and saying, "No! I don't have time to change!" and putting them back, then repeating.
Jump to right after the swim. I come out of the water in good position. Not first, by any means, but towards the front of the pack. I sit by my transition area and start gathering the things I'll need for my bike. I dash out there, wanting to do this awkward transition as quickly as possible, sit and put my shoes on, and realize something terrible: Not only have I grabbed someone else's shoes, they don't even match; I have two different shoes, neither of which are mine. I run back in and start looking for my shoes. And now some really slow people are starting to pass me. Fat, awkward people are wheeling their bikes out of T1. I'm going to have to make up a ridiculous amount of time on the bike. And I can't locate my shoes, still! By the time I finally find them, upside down, with the pedals attached to them, for some reason. I am the very last one out of transition. And one of the race directors comes over to ask me if everything's okay (and at this point, for some reason, I seem to be wearing blue jeans and have to strip back down to my tri shorts). I explain that I grabbed the wrong pair of shoes. And then I wake up.
I tell myself that it's okay, it's just a dream. I remind myself that swimming, biking, and running are not the only things being tested come race day; it's also a test of how well you can prepare and how well you can react to shifting and challenging circumstances. And then I sit down to write it out, because it was so frightening and unpleasant.
By the way, Zach, my former team captain, was sort of present and in the background in full USC Tri Team regalia the whole time. Not sure what that means . . .
Here was my dream. I was at a major triathlon, finally. Some of the competitors were staying in an elementary school gymnasium to save on a hotel. But it was really, really packed. Like cattle in stalls. Or . . . no, actually, I think the gym was part of a transition area. We had to run into the gym and get the stuff we needed for the bike, then run back out to our bikes and take off from there. Our running shoes were in a big pile across from the bike racks. And this was the race in which I wanted to be really competitive. But it didn't start well. I was warming up my swim in the lap pool (may have even been in the gym...) to, well, get warm, but also to check and make sure that my goggles (which I slammed in my car door at Lake Afton last week) still sealed properly. Good timing, right before the race start, right? And I only did one, 25-yard lap, which is a stupidly short warm up. Then I got out and wanted to change for the start of the race. Moments before the race starts, I'm not in my race kit. I'm wearing a swimming suit, nothing else. So I started pulling on my race kit over the swimming suit, and said casually to another competitor, "This is a great sport for buying tons of clothes, eh?" because I was wearing like four different layers at this point. Not only did she not laugh at my joke, she looked at me and suggested that I leave a couple layers behind. Then went off to the starting line. So I vacillated for a few minutes, taking things halfway off, pausing and saying, "No! I don't have time to change!" and putting them back, then repeating.
Jump to right after the swim. I come out of the water in good position. Not first, by any means, but towards the front of the pack. I sit by my transition area and start gathering the things I'll need for my bike. I dash out there, wanting to do this awkward transition as quickly as possible, sit and put my shoes on, and realize something terrible: Not only have I grabbed someone else's shoes, they don't even match; I have two different shoes, neither of which are mine. I run back in and start looking for my shoes. And now some really slow people are starting to pass me. Fat, awkward people are wheeling their bikes out of T1. I'm going to have to make up a ridiculous amount of time on the bike. And I can't locate my shoes, still! By the time I finally find them, upside down, with the pedals attached to them, for some reason. I am the very last one out of transition. And one of the race directors comes over to ask me if everything's okay (and at this point, for some reason, I seem to be wearing blue jeans and have to strip back down to my tri shorts). I explain that I grabbed the wrong pair of shoes. And then I wake up.
I tell myself that it's okay, it's just a dream. I remind myself that swimming, biking, and running are not the only things being tested come race day; it's also a test of how well you can prepare and how well you can react to shifting and challenging circumstances. And then I sit down to write it out, because it was so frightening and unpleasant.
By the way, Zach, my former team captain, was sort of present and in the background in full USC Tri Team regalia the whole time. Not sure what that means . . .
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
The Prize
I don't often talk about my personal life on this blog. That's not what this particular web journal is for. But I'll provide just a little bit of backstory for this post.
Recently, I've been rethinking my spiruality. It's become so hard to even believe that God exists, and that's pretty basic if you're going to live your life in service to him. On Sunday, I found myself thinking about my training, about how my best training is done when I have a clear goal in mind. I want to podium in my age group at Shawnee Mission; I want to come in the top 10 women overall; I want to break 2 hours. These are very clear, specific goals, and I know that I'm going to have to work very hard to get there. And when I first began training for triathlon, it was a huge boon to my spirituality. I was able to embrace discipline and endurance in a way I'd never experienced (especially as a football player, hyuck hyuck).
Recently, I've felt myself losing focus both in my training and my spirituality. On Sunday, I actually prayed about this (which is quite a step when I'm not even sure there's a God there to hear me). I felt like I received comfort . . . I still don't know what the prize is, but I can keep running until I crest this hill and see that the race is still worth running.
And I think I just found what will reinvigorate my training. It's a video of the recent Columbia Triathlon in Columbia, Maryland. Watching those competitors arrive, greet each other, ready their equipment, swim, bike, and run . . . Seeing the spirit and the dedication, the commitment, the willful embracing of pain . . . Remembering what it means when all that hard work pays off.
I'm ready to work. Hard. And even though it's 10:45 p.m., I think I'm going to head out to the 24-hour gym and get in those workouts I skipped today because of the wind.
I am reaching for the highest goal
That I might receive the prize
Pressing onward, pushing every hindrance aside, out of my way
(By the way, my favorite part of that video is when the woman asks how much time she has left, then replies, "2 minutes?! Eee!")
Recently, I've been rethinking my spiruality. It's become so hard to even believe that God exists, and that's pretty basic if you're going to live your life in service to him. On Sunday, I found myself thinking about my training, about how my best training is done when I have a clear goal in mind. I want to podium in my age group at Shawnee Mission; I want to come in the top 10 women overall; I want to break 2 hours. These are very clear, specific goals, and I know that I'm going to have to work very hard to get there. And when I first began training for triathlon, it was a huge boon to my spirituality. I was able to embrace discipline and endurance in a way I'd never experienced (especially as a football player, hyuck hyuck).
Recently, I've felt myself losing focus both in my training and my spirituality. On Sunday, I actually prayed about this (which is quite a step when I'm not even sure there's a God there to hear me). I felt like I received comfort . . . I still don't know what the prize is, but I can keep running until I crest this hill and see that the race is still worth running.
And I think I just found what will reinvigorate my training. It's a video of the recent Columbia Triathlon in Columbia, Maryland. Watching those competitors arrive, greet each other, ready their equipment, swim, bike, and run . . . Seeing the spirit and the dedication, the commitment, the willful embracing of pain . . . Remembering what it means when all that hard work pays off.
I'm ready to work. Hard. And even though it's 10:45 p.m., I think I'm going to head out to the 24-hour gym and get in those workouts I skipped today because of the wind.
I am reaching for the highest goal
That I might receive the prize
Pressing onward, pushing every hindrance aside, out of my way
(By the way, my favorite part of that video is when the woman asks how much time she has left, then replies, "2 minutes?! Eee!")
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Quick Summary
I haven't really bothered with a play-by-play on my training, but for the sake of catching the world up on my endeavors, I'll share a few paragraphs about the past week.
My schedule called for a week of strength building this past week, so I hit hills on the bike (high resistance on spinning bikes) and run (incline work on the treadmill) for my standard tempo workouts. Honestly, I wasn't sure how to adapt my swim workouts to build strength, so I'm working by trial and error and reading up on swimming drills. I also reinstated a pretty intense weights routine, including high volume deadlifts and squats, which left my upper legs spent for most of the week. That's the primary reason why I was feeling so overtrained by the end of the week.
This last week has also been one of readjustment, particularly to the humidity level here in the middle of the country. I go to spinning class and find perspiration beading on my arms to the point where it looks like I've been riding in the rain. And the heat and humidity seriously impacted my track workout last Monday.
Speaking of which, I definitely feel the lack of coach and teammates, especially during my track workouts. It's so much harder to motivate myself to run faster. I clearly need to find some training partners.
Fortunately, joining a team seems within reach, since I've landed a job at a local gym teaching group fitness, beginning with spinning class. I'm very excited to start that, and in conjunction with my classes, I plan to publish spinning podcasts. My style involves lots of shouting, so if you've been wishing for someone to really kick your ass on your cycling workouts, I will make that option available to you very soon.
I feel like I've lost focus, a little bit. I need to just take a couple hours and think through the whole Shawnee Mission race in my mind; that way, I'm not doing it to maintain a particular lifestyle (so that I continue to be a bad-ass triathlete) or image. Because I don't like just working out to maintain a certain body type or general fitness, especially with this race coming up. I want to compete. I want to completely own at Shawnee Mission. I want to be one of the top competitors, not just to prove to myself how far I've become, but because I really, really want to succeed. I think if I refocus my mind on that very important race, it will reinvigorate my training as I go into a week of speed work before recovering for a week.
My schedule called for a week of strength building this past week, so I hit hills on the bike (high resistance on spinning bikes) and run (incline work on the treadmill) for my standard tempo workouts. Honestly, I wasn't sure how to adapt my swim workouts to build strength, so I'm working by trial and error and reading up on swimming drills. I also reinstated a pretty intense weights routine, including high volume deadlifts and squats, which left my upper legs spent for most of the week. That's the primary reason why I was feeling so overtrained by the end of the week.
This last week has also been one of readjustment, particularly to the humidity level here in the middle of the country. I go to spinning class and find perspiration beading on my arms to the point where it looks like I've been riding in the rain. And the heat and humidity seriously impacted my track workout last Monday.
Speaking of which, I definitely feel the lack of coach and teammates, especially during my track workouts. It's so much harder to motivate myself to run faster. I clearly need to find some training partners.
Fortunately, joining a team seems within reach, since I've landed a job at a local gym teaching group fitness, beginning with spinning class. I'm very excited to start that, and in conjunction with my classes, I plan to publish spinning podcasts. My style involves lots of shouting, so if you've been wishing for someone to really kick your ass on your cycling workouts, I will make that option available to you very soon.
I feel like I've lost focus, a little bit. I need to just take a couple hours and think through the whole Shawnee Mission race in my mind; that way, I'm not doing it to maintain a particular lifestyle (so that I continue to be a bad-ass triathlete) or image. Because I don't like just working out to maintain a certain body type or general fitness, especially with this race coming up. I want to compete. I want to completely own at Shawnee Mission. I want to be one of the top competitors, not just to prove to myself how far I've become, but because I really, really want to succeed. I think if I refocus my mind on that very important race, it will reinvigorate my training as I go into a week of speed work before recovering for a week.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
The Fire Under my Butt
I've improved a lot in the last semester, especially in my running. My first workout of this semester was a 4-mile run with two of my friends who were training for the L.A. Marathon. Our pace was around 11:30/mile. A few weeks later, at track practice, we had a run test to determine our 5K pace, and I ran 11:00/mile. And that was really pushing myself. Two weekends ago, at UCSB, I ran my 5K in 28:08, at about 9:03/mile, and this week at CSULB I ran 8:34/mile.
My next race is the Shawnee Mission Triathlon, which is the first triathlon I ever did. The distances were 1000 M, 18 mi, 4.5 mi. My goal was to finish, and I did . . . third from last. All my energy is going into improving as much as I possibly can in the next two months and presenting myself at that race as prepared as I possibly can be; I want to see how far I've come.
As I was reflecting on my race times for today, I started wondering how my times from that first race would compare. I looked up the 2006 results, and there I was, 46 out of a field of 48 (and 48 didn't finish), with a time of 2:59:10. 24:18 for the 1000 M swim (that's 2:58/100 M), 1:33:50 for the 18 mile bike (11.5 MPH), and 55:26 for the run (12:20/mile). This year, at the very least, I want to swim in 20:00, bike in 1:00, and run in 45:00. That gives me a time of 2:05 (plus transitions). That's almost an hour faster!
Then I started wondering what, exactly, the field was like last year. And I wondered if it would be similar this year. The winning woman went in 1:40:50. But she was 36, therefore not in my age group. In the 20-24 age group, there were only three other women. Only three. And only one of those was in the top ten. So I've been thinking . . .
I want to really, really push myself, this year. I want to knock off those extra 5 minutes and finish in under 2 hours. And I want to finish in the top ten (which last year would have meant a time of 1:58:33 or less). And I want to podium in my age group.
Are these realistic goals? I'm actually not sure. For me to say that I want to finish in under 2 hours is ambitious, no matter how much I plan to improve. Getting my swim down to a 2:00 100 M from today's 3:00 debacle will take lots and lots of work. Averaging anything more than 18 MPH (which I did today) on the bike will be tough, especially since the course is relatively hilly. And to run 9:00/mile after pushing myself really hard through the first two events will hurt like nothing else. But I want to do this. I really, really want to do this.
My next race is the Shawnee Mission Triathlon, which is the first triathlon I ever did. The distances were 1000 M, 18 mi, 4.5 mi. My goal was to finish, and I did . . . third from last. All my energy is going into improving as much as I possibly can in the next two months and presenting myself at that race as prepared as I possibly can be; I want to see how far I've come.
As I was reflecting on my race times for today, I started wondering how my times from that first race would compare. I looked up the 2006 results, and there I was, 46 out of a field of 48 (and 48 didn't finish), with a time of 2:59:10. 24:18 for the 1000 M swim (that's 2:58/100 M), 1:33:50 for the 18 mile bike (11.5 MPH), and 55:26 for the run (12:20/mile). This year, at the very least, I want to swim in 20:00, bike in 1:00, and run in 45:00. That gives me a time of 2:05 (plus transitions). That's almost an hour faster!
Then I started wondering what, exactly, the field was like last year. And I wondered if it would be similar this year. The winning woman went in 1:40:50. But she was 36, therefore not in my age group. In the 20-24 age group, there were only three other women. Only three. And only one of those was in the top ten. So I've been thinking . . .
I want to really, really push myself, this year. I want to knock off those extra 5 minutes and finish in under 2 hours. And I want to finish in the top ten (which last year would have meant a time of 1:58:33 or less). And I want to podium in my age group.
Are these realistic goals? I'm actually not sure. For me to say that I want to finish in under 2 hours is ambitious, no matter how much I plan to improve. Getting my swim down to a 2:00 100 M from today's 3:00 debacle will take lots and lots of work. Averaging anything more than 18 MPH (which I did today) on the bike will be tough, especially since the course is relatively hilly. And to run 9:00/mile after pushing myself really hard through the first two events will hurt like nothing else. But I want to do this. I really, really want to do this.
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