Post Thursday Night's Run
Su's car was about 10 ft behind the cones. It was dry when we went out on the run except for maybe an inch of water over the road. When we got back the water was above our knees.
Ultra
I am off to cheer at the start, take some pics, then head to the turnaround to provide some much needed nutritional aid at the Buckeye 50K. When Wild Bill shows up I am going to run back to the start with him to get in my last long run before Steelhead. Let's hope the trails aren't too muddy!
I am super geeked to actually watch my first live ultra. Listening to the Rocky 100 Zen podcast gave me chills so I can't imagine how fired up I am going to be today. Add to that all the SERC peeps competing and you have the formula for a great spectating morning, and hopefully some amazing pics and memories.
More on running memories later, let's just say Thursday night was a bit soggy!
I am super geeked to actually watch my first live ultra. Listening to the Rocky 100 Zen podcast gave me chills so I can't imagine how fired up I am going to be today. Add to that all the SERC peeps competing and you have the formula for a great spectating morning, and hopefully some amazing pics and memories.
More on running memories later, let's just say Thursday night was a bit soggy!
Coming to Steelhead?
*Edit* I should clarify this is a stolen post from Habeela who is organizing a pre race dinner Friday night. If you want in on dinner you need to email her and let her know you want in or leave a message on her blog!*edit*
Go over and let Habeela know so we can all get together for some Italian food Friday night! I also think we should have an after party! Anyone going to the post post party to win a bike or an Ironman slot?
"Who's In?
Ok. If you're not coming to Steelhead, you can skip this post (btw, you're sooooo going to be missing out on the most awesome race of the season).
For those of you who ARE coming to Steelhead, I thought it would be fun to have a Bloggers and their Beloveds pasta feed Friday evening (5ish) at one of the best Italian restaurants in the area.
All you need to do is email Habeela or leave a comment with the following info:
1. Are you in or out?
2. If you're out, would you come if it was at at different time/place?
We'll need to make a reservation so if you can reply by August 1st that would be awesome."
Make sure you let her know if you are coming for dinner! I should be there!
Go over and let Habeela know so we can all get together for some Italian food Friday night! I also think we should have an after party! Anyone going to the post post party to win a bike or an Ironman slot?
"Who's In?
Ok. If you're not coming to Steelhead, you can skip this post (btw, you're sooooo going to be missing out on the most awesome race of the season).
For those of you who ARE coming to Steelhead, I thought it would be fun to have a Bloggers and their Beloveds pasta feed Friday evening (5ish) at one of the best Italian restaurants in the area.
All you need to do is email Habeela or leave a comment with the following info:
1. Are you in or out?
2. If you're out, would you come if it was at at different time/place?
We'll need to make a reservation so if you can reply by August 1st that would be awesome."
Make sure you let her know if you are coming for dinner! I should be there!
Photos
Pictures speak louder than words right (or was that actions, hmm oh well)?
Photos below in order:
Post crash injuries
Saturday pics from the morning at Furians (when I caught up on almost all of my blog reading while the boys played Warhammer and I enjoyed a cup o joe) and from the rib cook off.
A few pics from this mornings/afternoons long brick with A and her new boy T.
(47 bike miles and 8- 8 minute run miles in the Steelhead bank. It's taper time folks! More details on the brick to come when I catch my breath!)
Official Clarks Lake photos.
Huge thanks to everyone for their kind concern. If I convinced one more person to wear their helmet the post was worth it! I am feeling pretty good. My neck is just a wee bit sore, but I think that is expected after 3 hours on the bike and an hour running! Fun pics of Fiona and her new style to come soon. Oh and of course my new matching helmet!
Photos below in order:
Post crash injuries
Saturday pics from the morning at Furians (when I caught up on almost all of my blog reading while the boys played Warhammer and I enjoyed a cup o joe) and from the rib cook off.
A few pics from this mornings/afternoons long brick with A and her new boy T.
(47 bike miles and 8- 8 minute run miles in the Steelhead bank. It's taper time folks! More details on the brick to come when I catch my breath!)
Official Clarks Lake photos.
Huge thanks to everyone for their kind concern. If I convinced one more person to wear their helmet the post was worth it! I am feeling pretty good. My neck is just a wee bit sore, but I think that is expected after 3 hours on the bike and an hour running! Fun pics of Fiona and her new style to come soon. Oh and of course my new matching helmet!
Official Race Pics
http://www.brightroom.com/go.asp?12912400
Not a big fan of the pics from the sprint. Guess that's what happens when it is pushing 90 degrees!
Brace For Impact
3, 2, 1...
Last night I was "in charge" of the swim/bike workout on the west side for CTC. Managed to get there on time despite being incredibly swamped at work and we were all in the water and waves by a little after 6.
The lake was choppy, nothing we couldn't handle, but it made it incredibly difficult to spot people and I ended up cutting my swim short to make sure everyone was out of the water. So about 20 minutes and 1200 yards in the lake. I wasn't too worried about it because it would give me more time to try and squeeze in 40 miles instead of just 20 on the bike.
I told everyone to take off on the bikes while I waited for IronJohnny to finish his 1800 yards. MW waited for me and after a pic from B2 MW and I headed out into the night.
MW, Me, and Fiona
It was probably one of the best rides I have ever had. We were cruising easily at 19 mph with the wind at our back and the heat didn't feel too bad. I was riding aero and was pretty comfortable. I thought to myself if Steelhead is more like this and less like the hills of GCT then 6 hours might still be in the cards. And then, about 19 miles into our ride, we literally ran into trouble.
We were headed East away from the sun and into the wind and a Ford Explorer was heading west into the sun and made a left hand turn into an intersection as we were crossing.
MW was leading and unfortunately couldn't avoid the car. I saw her hit the front of the car and roll over the hood. I don't know what I did to avoid the car and her but somehow I did and cruised over the curb and had a bumpy ride in the grass narrowly avoiding a sign and fire hydrant before getting tossed from the bike.
Everything is kind of missing from the point when I saw her hit to the point where I ran to her to find out if she was okay. It is driving me batty that I cannot remember what happened. All I know is somehow I got out of my shoes and ran to her and was so relieved that she was talking and seemed to be able to move despite her head feeling a bit heavy. The cops and paramedics came very quickly. The guy that hit us was very nice, no hit and run or anything. He stuck around and got us his insurance coverage information. The cops charged him with failure to yield. As I was filling out the police report my right hand wasn't quite gripping right and my shoulder was very tight and sore. I remembered after the crash that I had moved my neck and it had popped (like when you crack your back) and I told that to the paramedics and quicker than you could blink they had a neck brace on me and were hauling me off in an ambulance.
I had them take me to the same hospital as MW and we were next to each other while we waited for a doc and x rays. Luckily both of our x rays were good, no broken bones! And we are both okay. MW is pretty beat up and sore and probably had a concussion. I came away with a grass stained shirt and a little abrasion on my elbow. My shoulder is a bit sore today and it is painful to turn my head to the left, but I should recover fine. The doc said to limit lots of arm motion. But he said to go with how I feel. Not training at this stage in the game is a little scary to think about but I will get by with whatever I have done so far if that's what is needed.
Tonight I need to take Fiona (My Giant OCR 2) to get an estimate on the damage done. Hopefully they will fix her up before Sunday so A and I can get in our last long brick before taper.
Huge thanks to everyone in CTC who has already sent out their support to me and MW. What a great team I am involved with! I even got a personal call from the prez checking in on me and making sure that I get Fiona in for a diagnosis. I couldn't ask for more supportive friends and triathletes to be associated with.
I will end this post on a public service announcement.
Wear your helmet and gloves at all times folks! If MW didn't have that helmet on last night things would have been very bad. That helmet probably saved her life. And her hands would have been shredded if she hadn't had on those gloves. Her pinky had a pretty deep abrasion so I can't imagine what the rest of her hands would have looked like if she hadn't worn the gloves.
Last night I was "in charge" of the swim/bike workout on the west side for CTC. Managed to get there on time despite being incredibly swamped at work and we were all in the water and waves by a little after 6.
The lake was choppy, nothing we couldn't handle, but it made it incredibly difficult to spot people and I ended up cutting my swim short to make sure everyone was out of the water. So about 20 minutes and 1200 yards in the lake. I wasn't too worried about it because it would give me more time to try and squeeze in 40 miles instead of just 20 on the bike.
I told everyone to take off on the bikes while I waited for IronJohnny to finish his 1800 yards. MW waited for me and after a pic from B2 MW and I headed out into the night.
MW, Me, and Fiona
It was probably one of the best rides I have ever had. We were cruising easily at 19 mph with the wind at our back and the heat didn't feel too bad. I was riding aero and was pretty comfortable. I thought to myself if Steelhead is more like this and less like the hills of GCT then 6 hours might still be in the cards. And then, about 19 miles into our ride, we literally ran into trouble.
We were headed East away from the sun and into the wind and a Ford Explorer was heading west into the sun and made a left hand turn into an intersection as we were crossing.
MW was leading and unfortunately couldn't avoid the car. I saw her hit the front of the car and roll over the hood. I don't know what I did to avoid the car and her but somehow I did and cruised over the curb and had a bumpy ride in the grass narrowly avoiding a sign and fire hydrant before getting tossed from the bike.
Everything is kind of missing from the point when I saw her hit to the point where I ran to her to find out if she was okay. It is driving me batty that I cannot remember what happened. All I know is somehow I got out of my shoes and ran to her and was so relieved that she was talking and seemed to be able to move despite her head feeling a bit heavy. The cops and paramedics came very quickly. The guy that hit us was very nice, no hit and run or anything. He stuck around and got us his insurance coverage information. The cops charged him with failure to yield. As I was filling out the police report my right hand wasn't quite gripping right and my shoulder was very tight and sore. I remembered after the crash that I had moved my neck and it had popped (like when you crack your back) and I told that to the paramedics and quicker than you could blink they had a neck brace on me and were hauling me off in an ambulance.
I had them take me to the same hospital as MW and we were next to each other while we waited for a doc and x rays. Luckily both of our x rays were good, no broken bones! And we are both okay. MW is pretty beat up and sore and probably had a concussion. I came away with a grass stained shirt and a little abrasion on my elbow. My shoulder is a bit sore today and it is painful to turn my head to the left, but I should recover fine. The doc said to limit lots of arm motion. But he said to go with how I feel. Not training at this stage in the game is a little scary to think about but I will get by with whatever I have done so far if that's what is needed.
Tonight I need to take Fiona (My Giant OCR 2) to get an estimate on the damage done. Hopefully they will fix her up before Sunday so A and I can get in our last long brick before taper.
Huge thanks to everyone in CTC who has already sent out their support to me and MW. What a great team I am involved with! I even got a personal call from the prez checking in on me and making sure that I get Fiona in for a diagnosis. I couldn't ask for more supportive friends and triathletes to be associated with.
I will end this post on a public service announcement.
Wear your helmet and gloves at all times folks! If MW didn't have that helmet on last night things would have been very bad. That helmet probably saved her life. And her hands would have been shredded if she hadn't had on those gloves. Her pinky had a pretty deep abrasion so I can't imagine what the rest of her hands would have looked like if she hadn't worn the gloves.
Swimming
Finally got back in the pool and made use of the 40 or so odd dollars they have been drafting from my bank account every month.
I'll tell you what the pool never felt so easy after all this swimming in the chop of Lake Erie!
I am glad I got back in the pool, dissapointed that I missed the track workout last night. Oh well you can't do it all! On the plus side I did get a ton of chores done around the house and a lot of work done at the office.
On to the workout stats:
2050 yards total around 38 minutes (my watch broke last Friday, still waiting for my new pink timex to arrive! So I am using my ghetto watch with no splits)
Warm up (1000 yards)
2* (250 free easy, 50 catch up drill, 50 fingertip drill, 50 slow arm recovery drill, 50 head down drill, 50 kick drill)
Main Set (1000 yards)
4*250 on a 4:05-4:10 send off (minimal rest)
I hit all 4 right around 4 minutes flat.
Cool Down (50 yards)
50 backstroke
Had to cut the workout short because I arrived just as the lifeguard was going on break so there's 10 minutes "wasted" I used the time to stretch and do some calf excercises.
Decided to go back to the basics and get in 500 yards of drills. Hopefully if I incorporate those a few more times in the pool on top of my Wednesday open water swims my stroke will be a bit more efficient before Steelhead. I got discouraged last year about my swim time at this same damn sprint tri, I am not even sure why, I think it is because there were several women out almost 4 minutes ahead of me, in a sprint! I am closer to the swim leaders (AG) than that in an Olympic distance! I guess I just haven't been racing real swimmers in the Olympics!
Tonight is swim then bike and maybe I can con A into a run off.
My blogging has suffered lately, I still owe you guy 2 WIBA posts! And I am so ridiculously far behind on reading blogs. My bloglines list is out of control! I'm trying guys! Can't wait to catch up with all of you!
I'll tell you what the pool never felt so easy after all this swimming in the chop of Lake Erie!
I am glad I got back in the pool, dissapointed that I missed the track workout last night. Oh well you can't do it all! On the plus side I did get a ton of chores done around the house and a lot of work done at the office.
On to the workout stats:
2050 yards total around 38 minutes (my watch broke last Friday, still waiting for my new pink timex to arrive! So I am using my ghetto watch with no splits)
Warm up (1000 yards)
2* (250 free easy, 50 catch up drill, 50 fingertip drill, 50 slow arm recovery drill, 50 head down drill, 50 kick drill)
Main Set (1000 yards)
4*250 on a 4:05-4:10 send off (minimal rest)
I hit all 4 right around 4 minutes flat.
Cool Down (50 yards)
50 backstroke
Had to cut the workout short because I arrived just as the lifeguard was going on break so there's 10 minutes "wasted" I used the time to stretch and do some calf excercises.
Decided to go back to the basics and get in 500 yards of drills. Hopefully if I incorporate those a few more times in the pool on top of my Wednesday open water swims my stroke will be a bit more efficient before Steelhead. I got discouraged last year about my swim time at this same damn sprint tri, I am not even sure why, I think it is because there were several women out almost 4 minutes ahead of me, in a sprint! I am closer to the swim leaders (AG) than that in an Olympic distance! I guess I just haven't been racing real swimmers in the Olympics!
Tonight is swim then bike and maybe I can con A into a run off.
My blogging has suffered lately, I still owe you guy 2 WIBA posts! And I am so ridiculously far behind on reading blogs. My bloglines list is out of control! I'm trying guys! Can't wait to catch up with all of you!
Look Familiar?
Swim .5 mile, Bike 13 miles, Run 4 Miles (that's what they claim but it was more like 4.25 as you passed the 4 mile mark long before the finish line)
This year's stats:
Age group 25-29
5/27 in age group
SWIM- 15:31
T1-1:37
BIKE-43:15 18.0mph
T2-1:21
RUN-31:29 7:47 min/mile
Total-1:33:11
Hmm that's eerily familiar...
Last Year's stats:
Age group 20-24
6/15 in age group
SWIM- 15:33
T1-2:44
BIKE- 43:24 18.0mph
T2-1:15
RUN-30:52 7:38min/mile
Total- 1:33:47
Wow well at least I am not getting worse!
Brief Analysis:
I am pretty happy with the race considering that I went into it tired and I had some wild things happen on the swim and bike that definitely added some time. I am disappointed but shouldn't be surprised that the run was a little slower. I really have been emphasizing the long bike rides lately and the running has been minimal. I guess I should just be glad I can still hold that pace on minimal focus!
The long story:
My sister and cousin had to bail on the race so I was in it solo. Vickie also was at the race but unfortunately our paths did not end up crossing. My cousin and my parents did come to root me on! Once again I cannot say how blessed I am to have such great support from my family.
Drove up to Michigan Saturday after a 35 minute swim in Lake Erie and a 26 mile bike, during which I got my first ever flat. I fixed it in a jiffy and other than not threading the C02 cartridge correctly I did pretty well. Luckily the CTC guys that were with me were kind enough to wait and help me to rethread the C02 correctly and get some air in my new tube! I hit a huge road snake and my tire fit quite nicely in it, must have been a rock or something that punctured the tire and gave me the flat. It wasn't anything like I expected, the tire didn't blow up and I didn't crash. I just heard the swish swish of the air coming out of the tire and pulled to the side of the road, safely unclipping.
The drive up to Michigan wasn't too bad, I managed to get ahold of Curly Su on the phone (using my ear bud) and heard all about Ironman Nice. And the drive took 3 hours instead of the 4 I was expecting. I went straight to the race site to pick up my packet so I wouldn't have to wait in line the next morning. Got my packet in a jiffy, sans chip, which had me pondering, turns out they were not giving those out early, and headed to my parents.
At that point I was under the impression my sister was still doing the race so I changed out the knobby tires on the hybrid to some slick ones for her and watched a movie with my parents before heading to bed.
Woke up Sunday at 5:10 AM. Did not get much sleep at all. When I stay somewhere other than home before a race I don't sleep well, I worry all night that I won't hear the alarm and won't get to the race on time. So at 5:10 I was up and at em. Woke up my cousin (AKA my race support) and ate a bagel and got ready to head out. My sis called saying she had been up sick all night and wanted my advice on whether or not to race. I didn't want to give that advice because I know if it was me I would race, solely because I had paid, even if all I could finish was the swim. So I had my dad talk to her as AL and I headed to the race.
It was already warm out when we left at 6 AM, about 70 degrees. By the time the race started the water was 80 and the air temps had to be pushing 80 too. It wasn't unbearable, but I can't imagine what it would have gotten like if the race had been longer. I sincerely hope it isn't that hot for Steelhead.
Got my stuff into transition and got in line for body marking and my chip. My cousin was having race envy, I tried to keep his mind off of it, I am sure he will get to race soon. The one thing about triathlon that really sucks is the funding!
After getting everything set up and applying sunscreen we got in the incredibly long porta potty line. Holy Cow! They had to delay the race start 10 minutes because people were still in line! Other than that I thought it was a very well run race, well okay I was also disappointed they didn't have the popsicles at the finish line like they did last year.
After defueling, so to speak, I headed over to the lake and found my parents. For some reason I was one of like 20 people with white swim caps while everyone else had yellow. It seemed really odd, but I wasn't too worried about it. I jumped in the water to warm up a little bit. The chip ankle holder thing felt loose so I tightened it in the water and it felt fine coming out. I thought to myself, good thing you checked that before diving in for the real thing, hah.
There were about 700 racers including the du and relay teams, which is really odd for me, any sprints in Ohio I have been to do not have that many people. I think there are cash awards at this race though, in addition to SWAG type awards three deep in each age group, on top of a free pair of Brooks running shoes for the fastest male and female in each individual sport. All I know is that not only were there a lot of people, there were a lot of good people. This is the only race I have been in where so many of the swimmers are around me the whole way. Even in Chicago where there are 100-150 in a wave, the initial group you start with thins out.
The race director hollered for everyone to listen up as they gave a brief pre race meeting. Then they asked for a moment of silence for a close friend that had passed from cancer. I thought about all those I know that have been affected by this ugly disease and tried not to cry.
And then it was time to race. They called for the first wave and all the girls 10-34 waited behind for that wave to start. After the siren we all went through the chute single file as they counted us off. I got to the front and right side figuring I would head towards the buoy on the left later once the crowd had thinned out. The siren went off and I dove into the water. Right away I felt great. My stroke felt strong and I was completely at peace with the water. I was surprised at the large number of girls swimming right along with me. I just tried to keep my line of sight and stay away from everyone else. Other than a little gasoline from the boats the swim out was lovely. And that's when it hit. A breaststroke kick to the face. I saw it coming and didn't do anything about it. My goggles got knocked out of place and I readjusted and then headed into the sun. I couldn't see much but occasionally got a vision of the buoy and the men from wave 1 that had fallen behind. My ankle bracelet felt like it was dragging and I was worried the chip would fall off. I rounded the next buoy and headed towards shore.
About halfway to shore swimming was no longer just a feat of getting through the water. It was a feat of digging through the seaweed. It was absolutely nuts. But I surprisingly still felt good and it didn't seem to affect my stroke. I was more worried about the seaweed dragging the chip away than anything else. The water got shallow early towards shore but I tried to stay swimming as long as possible, way longer than those I saw jogging through the water. I guess I must have short arms. I finally had to stand upright and I checked my chip as I heard my parents yelling for me. I ran out of the water thinking my swim had to have been much better than last year, and was a bit disappointed as I realized it was exactly the same.
I hustled in to T1 and was out of there in a jiffy. I hadn't practiced getting in and out of my shoes on the bike, but remembered what a breeze it was in Chicago and thought it wouldn't be a big deal. Hmm yeah, those were different shoes in Chicago! I had trouble right off the bat as I couldn't get my feet onto the shoes to ride away, I almost took out a spectator as I heard my cousin yelling for me to get going. I regretted the decision to put the shoes on the bike right then and there. I got my first shoe on and strapped in at about mile 1, then started the trouble with my left foot. While attempting to get the foot in, the strap came completely out of the buckle. I continued to ride that way for about 5 miles with the buckle and strap flapping about until I finally pulled off to the side and put the damn shoe on.
From there I had a pretty good ride. I got passed by a bunch of speedsters with their fancy aerodynamic wheels, but I didn't get passed by any mountain bikes or hybrids, so I was okay with it. Even with the shoe debacle I averaged the same pace as last year. The course was extremely well marked and just enough hills to make it interesting but not tire out the legs.
I got into T2 and realized I hadn't bothered to count off racks from the bike in (guess that should be lesson #9, I should know better though, that's what I get for no pre race walk through because I knew it was just a sprint), crap, so I watched closely for the guys bike next to me and my towel, and luckily found it with no problem. For some reason someone had decided that my transition area was the perfect place for their bag. I have no clue why they did that, there wasn't even a bike next to me on the one side so they could have put it there. Bizarre!
Threw on my socks and shoes and headed out onto the run. I got passed by two girls on the run. One right off the bat, and one right at the finish. Neither in my age group. I was 5th coming off the bike and it stayed that way the whole run. I passed quite a few men and some women in their 30s but didn't see anyone in my age group the whole race. I tried to cheer good luck to everyone I passed.
I didn't feel like I was going very fast and I tried really hard to hold back since I have not been running much and I didn't want to push it in the heat and I didn't want to irritate the calf. I kept thinking to myself, even when you are a runner, the worst part of the tri is the run. It is the hottest part of the day, and you are already tired from the swim and bike. I can't imagine what it is like if the run is your weak sport.
I got sprayed by plenty of hoses and by the time I hit the finish I swear my shoes weighed 4 pounds. I seriously think they slowed me in the last mile, as I had calculated that I had been running about 7:20 pace the first 3 miles. I was a bit confused when I hit about 7 minutes into the 4th mile and I knew I was still a ways from the finish. Then I saw the 4 mile mark and the water stop as I continued to run into the finish. I heard my parents yelling but couldn't make out what they were saying. Apparently they were saying I was about to get taken out by the girl behind me. She went flying by, and I thought about racing but I could feel my calf protest, and I have bigger fish to fry in a few short weeks so I let her go. (The exact same thing happened to me at this race last year, at least this year she wasn't in my age group)
The post race food was good again and they had a big water arch waiting to spray you at the finish line. It felt great. We tried to cool off in the shade for a bit and checked the results on the board. I was amused because I was pretty sure my time was within a minute of last year. Faster transitions and slower run. Pretty funny.
We headed out a bit early so I could go visit with my grandparents before heading home.
I am super glad I did the race. I definitely needed the transition practice, and now I will be ready for Steelhead. Big thing at Steelhead is going to be taking it easy, it is so easy to get caught up in the race and go fast. I really need to hold myself back on the run at least until mile 10. If I bust out anything under 8 in those first ten miles things might get ugly.
Only other major issue was nutrition. I didn't eat anything. Just had gatorade endurance, but I felt like I was going to vomit most of the run. I think I need to drink more water and perhaps go for regular gatorade with the carbo pro. Either that or dilute the endurance formula, because the heat and that did not mix well at all. I need to take a look at Steelheads bike description and see what they will be handing out on the course. Maybe I should suck it up and get one of those aerobar bottles for my water. I don't think I will get in enough water and gatorade with just the two bottle cages.
Congrats to all that raced in this crazy heat this weekend, especially TriSaratops, Steve, Vickie, Lana, and Michele. Big thanks to my mom and dad and cousin for coming out and supporting me!
This year's stats:
Age group 25-29
5/27 in age group
SWIM- 15:31
T1-1:37
BIKE-43:15 18.0mph
T2-1:21
RUN-31:29 7:47 min/mile
Total-1:33:11
Hmm that's eerily familiar...
Last Year's stats:
Age group 20-24
6/15 in age group
SWIM- 15:33
T1-2:44
BIKE- 43:24 18.0mph
T2-1:15
RUN-30:52 7:38min/mile
Total- 1:33:47
Wow well at least I am not getting worse!
Brief Analysis:
I am pretty happy with the race considering that I went into it tired and I had some wild things happen on the swim and bike that definitely added some time. I am disappointed but shouldn't be surprised that the run was a little slower. I really have been emphasizing the long bike rides lately and the running has been minimal. I guess I should just be glad I can still hold that pace on minimal focus!
The long story:
My sister and cousin had to bail on the race so I was in it solo. Vickie also was at the race but unfortunately our paths did not end up crossing. My cousin and my parents did come to root me on! Once again I cannot say how blessed I am to have such great support from my family.
Drove up to Michigan Saturday after a 35 minute swim in Lake Erie and a 26 mile bike, during which I got my first ever flat. I fixed it in a jiffy and other than not threading the C02 cartridge correctly I did pretty well. Luckily the CTC guys that were with me were kind enough to wait and help me to rethread the C02 correctly and get some air in my new tube! I hit a huge road snake and my tire fit quite nicely in it, must have been a rock or something that punctured the tire and gave me the flat. It wasn't anything like I expected, the tire didn't blow up and I didn't crash. I just heard the swish swish of the air coming out of the tire and pulled to the side of the road, safely unclipping.
The drive up to Michigan wasn't too bad, I managed to get ahold of Curly Su on the phone (using my ear bud) and heard all about Ironman Nice. And the drive took 3 hours instead of the 4 I was expecting. I went straight to the race site to pick up my packet so I wouldn't have to wait in line the next morning. Got my packet in a jiffy, sans chip, which had me pondering, turns out they were not giving those out early, and headed to my parents.
At that point I was under the impression my sister was still doing the race so I changed out the knobby tires on the hybrid to some slick ones for her and watched a movie with my parents before heading to bed.
Woke up Sunday at 5:10 AM. Did not get much sleep at all. When I stay somewhere other than home before a race I don't sleep well, I worry all night that I won't hear the alarm and won't get to the race on time. So at 5:10 I was up and at em. Woke up my cousin (AKA my race support) and ate a bagel and got ready to head out. My sis called saying she had been up sick all night and wanted my advice on whether or not to race. I didn't want to give that advice because I know if it was me I would race, solely because I had paid, even if all I could finish was the swim. So I had my dad talk to her as AL and I headed to the race.
It was already warm out when we left at 6 AM, about 70 degrees. By the time the race started the water was 80 and the air temps had to be pushing 80 too. It wasn't unbearable, but I can't imagine what it would have gotten like if the race had been longer. I sincerely hope it isn't that hot for Steelhead.
Got my stuff into transition and got in line for body marking and my chip. My cousin was having race envy, I tried to keep his mind off of it, I am sure he will get to race soon. The one thing about triathlon that really sucks is the funding!
After getting everything set up and applying sunscreen we got in the incredibly long porta potty line. Holy Cow! They had to delay the race start 10 minutes because people were still in line! Other than that I thought it was a very well run race, well okay I was also disappointed they didn't have the popsicles at the finish line like they did last year.
After defueling, so to speak, I headed over to the lake and found my parents. For some reason I was one of like 20 people with white swim caps while everyone else had yellow. It seemed really odd, but I wasn't too worried about it. I jumped in the water to warm up a little bit. The chip ankle holder thing felt loose so I tightened it in the water and it felt fine coming out. I thought to myself, good thing you checked that before diving in for the real thing, hah.
There were about 700 racers including the du and relay teams, which is really odd for me, any sprints in Ohio I have been to do not have that many people. I think there are cash awards at this race though, in addition to SWAG type awards three deep in each age group, on top of a free pair of Brooks running shoes for the fastest male and female in each individual sport. All I know is that not only were there a lot of people, there were a lot of good people. This is the only race I have been in where so many of the swimmers are around me the whole way. Even in Chicago where there are 100-150 in a wave, the initial group you start with thins out.
The race director hollered for everyone to listen up as they gave a brief pre race meeting. Then they asked for a moment of silence for a close friend that had passed from cancer. I thought about all those I know that have been affected by this ugly disease and tried not to cry.
And then it was time to race. They called for the first wave and all the girls 10-34 waited behind for that wave to start. After the siren we all went through the chute single file as they counted us off. I got to the front and right side figuring I would head towards the buoy on the left later once the crowd had thinned out. The siren went off and I dove into the water. Right away I felt great. My stroke felt strong and I was completely at peace with the water. I was surprised at the large number of girls swimming right along with me. I just tried to keep my line of sight and stay away from everyone else. Other than a little gasoline from the boats the swim out was lovely. And that's when it hit. A breaststroke kick to the face. I saw it coming and didn't do anything about it. My goggles got knocked out of place and I readjusted and then headed into the sun. I couldn't see much but occasionally got a vision of the buoy and the men from wave 1 that had fallen behind. My ankle bracelet felt like it was dragging and I was worried the chip would fall off. I rounded the next buoy and headed towards shore.
About halfway to shore swimming was no longer just a feat of getting through the water. It was a feat of digging through the seaweed. It was absolutely nuts. But I surprisingly still felt good and it didn't seem to affect my stroke. I was more worried about the seaweed dragging the chip away than anything else. The water got shallow early towards shore but I tried to stay swimming as long as possible, way longer than those I saw jogging through the water. I guess I must have short arms. I finally had to stand upright and I checked my chip as I heard my parents yelling for me. I ran out of the water thinking my swim had to have been much better than last year, and was a bit disappointed as I realized it was exactly the same.
I hustled in to T1 and was out of there in a jiffy. I hadn't practiced getting in and out of my shoes on the bike, but remembered what a breeze it was in Chicago and thought it wouldn't be a big deal. Hmm yeah, those were different shoes in Chicago! I had trouble right off the bat as I couldn't get my feet onto the shoes to ride away, I almost took out a spectator as I heard my cousin yelling for me to get going. I regretted the decision to put the shoes on the bike right then and there. I got my first shoe on and strapped in at about mile 1, then started the trouble with my left foot. While attempting to get the foot in, the strap came completely out of the buckle. I continued to ride that way for about 5 miles with the buckle and strap flapping about until I finally pulled off to the side and put the damn shoe on.
From there I had a pretty good ride. I got passed by a bunch of speedsters with their fancy aerodynamic wheels, but I didn't get passed by any mountain bikes or hybrids, so I was okay with it. Even with the shoe debacle I averaged the same pace as last year. The course was extremely well marked and just enough hills to make it interesting but not tire out the legs.
I got into T2 and realized I hadn't bothered to count off racks from the bike in (guess that should be lesson #9, I should know better though, that's what I get for no pre race walk through because I knew it was just a sprint), crap, so I watched closely for the guys bike next to me and my towel, and luckily found it with no problem. For some reason someone had decided that my transition area was the perfect place for their bag. I have no clue why they did that, there wasn't even a bike next to me on the one side so they could have put it there. Bizarre!
Threw on my socks and shoes and headed out onto the run. I got passed by two girls on the run. One right off the bat, and one right at the finish. Neither in my age group. I was 5th coming off the bike and it stayed that way the whole run. I passed quite a few men and some women in their 30s but didn't see anyone in my age group the whole race. I tried to cheer good luck to everyone I passed.
I didn't feel like I was going very fast and I tried really hard to hold back since I have not been running much and I didn't want to push it in the heat and I didn't want to irritate the calf. I kept thinking to myself, even when you are a runner, the worst part of the tri is the run. It is the hottest part of the day, and you are already tired from the swim and bike. I can't imagine what it is like if the run is your weak sport.
I got sprayed by plenty of hoses and by the time I hit the finish I swear my shoes weighed 4 pounds. I seriously think they slowed me in the last mile, as I had calculated that I had been running about 7:20 pace the first 3 miles. I was a bit confused when I hit about 7 minutes into the 4th mile and I knew I was still a ways from the finish. Then I saw the 4 mile mark and the water stop as I continued to run into the finish. I heard my parents yelling but couldn't make out what they were saying. Apparently they were saying I was about to get taken out by the girl behind me. She went flying by, and I thought about racing but I could feel my calf protest, and I have bigger fish to fry in a few short weeks so I let her go. (The exact same thing happened to me at this race last year, at least this year she wasn't in my age group)
The post race food was good again and they had a big water arch waiting to spray you at the finish line. It felt great. We tried to cool off in the shade for a bit and checked the results on the board. I was amused because I was pretty sure my time was within a minute of last year. Faster transitions and slower run. Pretty funny.
We headed out a bit early so I could go visit with my grandparents before heading home.
I am super glad I did the race. I definitely needed the transition practice, and now I will be ready for Steelhead. Big thing at Steelhead is going to be taking it easy, it is so easy to get caught up in the race and go fast. I really need to hold myself back on the run at least until mile 10. If I bust out anything under 8 in those first ten miles things might get ugly.
Only other major issue was nutrition. I didn't eat anything. Just had gatorade endurance, but I felt like I was going to vomit most of the run. I think I need to drink more water and perhaps go for regular gatorade with the carbo pro. Either that or dilute the endurance formula, because the heat and that did not mix well at all. I need to take a look at Steelheads bike description and see what they will be handing out on the course. Maybe I should suck it up and get one of those aerobar bottles for my water. I don't think I will get in enough water and gatorade with just the two bottle cages.
Congrats to all that raced in this crazy heat this weekend, especially TriSaratops, Steve, Vickie, Lana, and Michele. Big thanks to my mom and dad and cousin for coming out and supporting me!
Lessons Learned
A real recap to come later but until then this is what I learned yesterday during the race:
1. Spend more time in the pool the next few weeks before Steelhead. A little more time (i.e. more than one freaking day in the water a week) will have tons of benefits come August 5th.
2. New tri shoes are not conducive to putting on while on the bike. The time saved in transition was not worth it, as the effort and time spent on the bike was ridiculous.
3. Avoid running directly into someone's feet going around buoy's. Slow down around the curves if someone is in your way. You won't gain any speed, especially if you get kicked in the face and have to put your goggles back on.
4. Get tinted goggles. (Clear goggles didn't cut it when the sun was in direct line of sight, good luck finding buoy's or anything else when you are blinded by the sun!)
5. Take it easy on the run. You're going faster than you think.
6. Don't run through sprinklers as tempting as it may be. 4 pound sopping wet shoes are not conducive to running 13 miles.
7. Heat may call for different nutrition strategy. Get out in the heat and figure out what sits well in your stomach.
8. Make sure that chip is on, and if you think it is falling off in the swim oh well. There is nothing you can do about it at that point. Don't waste time checking on it during the swim. Check it in T1. Perhaps a safety pin?
1. Spend more time in the pool the next few weeks before Steelhead. A little more time (i.e. more than one freaking day in the water a week) will have tons of benefits come August 5th.
2. New tri shoes are not conducive to putting on while on the bike. The time saved in transition was not worth it, as the effort and time spent on the bike was ridiculous.
3. Avoid running directly into someone's feet going around buoy's. Slow down around the curves if someone is in your way. You won't gain any speed, especially if you get kicked in the face and have to put your goggles back on.
4. Get tinted goggles. (Clear goggles didn't cut it when the sun was in direct line of sight, good luck finding buoy's or anything else when you are blinded by the sun!)
5. Take it easy on the run. You're going faster than you think.
6. Don't run through sprinklers as tempting as it may be. 4 pound sopping wet shoes are not conducive to running 13 miles.
7. Heat may call for different nutrition strategy. Get out in the heat and figure out what sits well in your stomach.
8. Make sure that chip is on, and if you think it is falling off in the swim oh well. There is nothing you can do about it at that point. Don't waste time checking on it during the swim. Check it in T1. Perhaps a safety pin?
All in a mornings work
Off to swim in Lake Erie, bike, then drive home to Michigan.
Make sure to check out this weeks latest Zen and the Art, Simply Stu, and GYGO podcasts for some fun WIBA action! (And cool updates for the TDF!)
Okay I really just posted this because Iliketoast was afraid of the eye pads ;)
Make sure to check out this weeks latest Zen and the Art, Simply Stu, and GYGO podcasts for some fun WIBA action! (And cool updates for the TDF!)
Okay I really just posted this because Iliketoast was afraid of the eye pads ;)
Weather Demons
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Clark Lake, Michigan
Swim 0.5 miles - Bike 13 miles - Run 4 miles
Registration is open, but filling fast! May have to cancel race day registration if things keep going at this pace. Shutting down on-line registration on Friday 07/14 at 6:00 p.m. if we don't fill before. Check this site for info before you just come out on race day.
Tuesday evening water temp was 79 degrees. Wetsuit rules on Info page. Predict 90-93 degrees and high humidity (no rain)for Sunday/ We have water & ice.
This is what is posted up on my race site that I am doing Sunday. Dear Lord that is hot! I whine when I have to run in temps above 52. This may be brutal! I have to keep reminding myself I am only doing this race for transition practice for Steelhead. Yikes!
Brief Break
Taking a break from the WIBA recap to let you all know about tonight's track workout.
It was brutal. Nuf Said.
On to the splits:
1.5 mile warm up
6*800 with 3 minute/400 rest in between
3:09.33
3:08.49
3:09.73
3:29.64 WTF?
3:15.89
3:11.43
1 mile cool down
I really have no idea what happened on the last 3, especially the 4th. I wasn't even that happy with the first three so the 4th was a big bummer. I was just tapped. My whole upper body felt like lead. It was pretty humid so I guess that combined with dehydration and the long weekend may have contributed.
CK thinks my calf problem is a torn muscle. Not sure what that means for me. I guess some anti inflammatories, some ice, lots of stretching on the bike, and taking it easy on the running front. I will have to make sure to take it easy on my jogs with David too I guess, big bummer. No more short/fast sets on the track until after Steelhead and hopefully it will be healed. It doesn't hurt that bad during the run and I don't feel it at all during the bike, just like a dull ache. Bizarre!
Hopefully I will get some time to post about the great WIBA ride tomorrow but I am having the girls over for a spa party so time may be tight.
It was brutal. Nuf Said.
On to the splits:
1.5 mile warm up
6*800 with 3 minute/400 rest in between
3:09.33
3:08.49
3:09.73
3:29.64 WTF?
3:15.89
3:11.43
1 mile cool down
I really have no idea what happened on the last 3, especially the 4th. I wasn't even that happy with the first three so the 4th was a big bummer. I was just tapped. My whole upper body felt like lead. It was pretty humid so I guess that combined with dehydration and the long weekend may have contributed.
CK thinks my calf problem is a torn muscle. Not sure what that means for me. I guess some anti inflammatories, some ice, lots of stretching on the bike, and taking it easy on the running front. I will have to make sure to take it easy on my jogs with David too I guess, big bummer. No more short/fast sets on the track until after Steelhead and hopefully it will be healed. It doesn't hurt that bad during the run and I don't feel it at all during the bike, just like a dull ache. Bizarre!
Hopefully I will get some time to post about the great WIBA ride tomorrow but I am having the girls over for a spa party so time may be tight.
WIBA Day 1- Stu's The Lube Man
There were way too many fun quotes from this weekend! Make sure to check out IronWil's fun list!
Where to begin?
I guess I have a slightly different perspective on the weekend than those who were there preparing to race on that same course in two short months. I felt like most of them went in with a lot of anxiety whereas any anxiety I had was just about the hills and about not making an a$$ out of myself in front of new people or their podcasting equipment. I really was under no pressure as I didn't have to worry about how these hills would feel before a marathon in two months or worry if I could do it again but twice (by the way they all can and will be able to tackle that Ironman, I was extremely impressed with everyone out there). And I think that was the first of the many keys to why I felt so freaking great on my Saturday WIBA ride.
I was a bit worried going into the trip that I would feel out of place as I am definitely not a well known blogger and while I have been an avid podcast listener I have not gotten in on the audio scene as much as some of the others who would be there this weekend. And I am not even training for an Ironman let alone for Wisconsin so I hoped I wouldn’t be seen as an intruder on the weekend’s fun. Wil and everyone else were very welcoming the whole time and didn’t make me feel out of place at all. It felt like we were all old friends although none of us have ever met in person and many of us had never even read the others blogs.
Friday I woke up early and loaded the car and headed to TriSaraTop’s. We ate some waffles and were on the road headed to IronWil’s. About 4 hours later we arrived and loaded our 3 bikes and all of our stuff into Wil’s little Dodge with a huge trunk! Wil is such a popular tri blogger and I had built her up to be larger than life but don’t let her fool you she is tiny (in stature)! We were all abuzz with adrenaline and the fun times were just beginning.
While Wil and TriSara are probably twins (seriously folks they had all kinds of crazy things in common) I felt like I also had a lot in common with both of them. But where we differed we really differed :) We all have our own funny little OCD quirks. I could definitely see me and Wil being the type of girls that would always have a blast together out at the clubs or on a ride, and while I have only known Sara for a few months I feel like we will definitely remain good friends for a long time.
The ride through Chicago had its highlights. Podcasting was unique. I really tried hard to remain silent the entire time as I have no desire to hear my voice in the public arena but a few times my boisterous personality won out. Hence the Stu’s the lube man quote. You will have to listen to the GYGO podcast this Friday for more details on that though. We had a minor car accident (just a fender bender, moving like 3mph). I was amazed at how cool Wil was about it and we were seriously back on the road within minutes. (And nope we weren't podcasting when it happened) Unfortunately my rest stop didn’t go quite so quickly. My peanut sized bladder contributed to a 45 minute detour through the middle of Chicago. Other than that the only car excitement involved almost losing the bikes. I swear I am going to buy a roof rack if I ever have to take multiple bikes anywhere again. The whole trip I kept looking at the bikes every few minutes or so, I was so paranoid that they were going to shift and fall off the car. We did almost lose them twice so I guess my nerves were semi justified.
We were supposed to be at dinner at 7 but there was absolutely no way we were going to make it in time. How freaking nice are Stu, RobbyB, and Thomps? They freaking waited outside for us for 2 hours! It actually worked out that we were late as SLS and her hubby were coming in from MN late too. We finally got to our hotel, ditched the bikes, and headed over. Luckily the restaurant was in walking distance so we didn’t have to deal with directions or anything.
It was apparent when we arrived that the boys had already been giving the waiter a hard time. We did finally get some bread to chow on though and put in our orders. To my horror they did not have any bud light and I was forced to try something new. I think it was Hefeweizen (no clue how to spell that), and it was actually good.
Stu and RobbyB Pondering
Somehow Stu and I got in a friendly contest. I still have no clue what the rules were even, but I think Stu won. His disbelief in the Liger did lead to me getting a few points in our competition. I am sure you will hear about it in the podcast but let’s just say we compared the lion and tiger breeding to horse and donkey breeding and it didn’t result in a Liger and Mule being born. Stu did not believe me when I told him that I had actually seen a Liger so this link is for Stu. I will have to look through and see if I actually have one of the photos I took while at Turpentine Creek. So to end this argument (similar to Wil’s giant jellyfish) yes Liger’s are real (although they are not really bred for their skills in magic)!
Jade the Liger
Lots of fun stories were told which ended in more of our fun quotes from the weekend. I think my fave was probably "that's not my camelback...". Orginating from a few different stories of runners/triathletes taking care of business on the run.Dinner was wonderful, at first I didn't think I liked my lobster ravioli but I finished it without too much effort. And no, despite suggestions I did not lick the plate. But I do drink the milk out of my cereal bowl at home and it drives me nuts when people leave edible food on their plates :) I guess I am extremely lucky that the training I do allows me to indulge in the foods I like in large quantities.
The Crew (minus me)
We continued to chat away but eventually made our way to the exit and called it a night.
IronWil Blogging
Went back to the hotel and prepped our gear for the night and we all took a quick turn at the computer (okay so we are all addicted). Thank goodness for TriSaraTops and her bag full of goodies. I grabbed some gels for the ride in the morning and hoped that on top of Gatorade and CarboPro would get me through.
All of these were organized inside baggies inside the bag!
More on days 2 and 3 later!
Where to begin?
I guess I have a slightly different perspective on the weekend than those who were there preparing to race on that same course in two short months. I felt like most of them went in with a lot of anxiety whereas any anxiety I had was just about the hills and about not making an a$$ out of myself in front of new people or their podcasting equipment. I really was under no pressure as I didn't have to worry about how these hills would feel before a marathon in two months or worry if I could do it again but twice (by the way they all can and will be able to tackle that Ironman, I was extremely impressed with everyone out there). And I think that was the first of the many keys to why I felt so freaking great on my Saturday WIBA ride.
I was a bit worried going into the trip that I would feel out of place as I am definitely not a well known blogger and while I have been an avid podcast listener I have not gotten in on the audio scene as much as some of the others who would be there this weekend. And I am not even training for an Ironman let alone for Wisconsin so I hoped I wouldn’t be seen as an intruder on the weekend’s fun. Wil and everyone else were very welcoming the whole time and didn’t make me feel out of place at all. It felt like we were all old friends although none of us have ever met in person and many of us had never even read the others blogs.
Friday I woke up early and loaded the car and headed to TriSaraTop’s. We ate some waffles and were on the road headed to IronWil’s. About 4 hours later we arrived and loaded our 3 bikes and all of our stuff into Wil’s little Dodge with a huge trunk! Wil is such a popular tri blogger and I had built her up to be larger than life but don’t let her fool you she is tiny (in stature)! We were all abuzz with adrenaline and the fun times were just beginning.
While Wil and TriSara are probably twins (seriously folks they had all kinds of crazy things in common) I felt like I also had a lot in common with both of them. But where we differed we really differed :) We all have our own funny little OCD quirks. I could definitely see me and Wil being the type of girls that would always have a blast together out at the clubs or on a ride, and while I have only known Sara for a few months I feel like we will definitely remain good friends for a long time.
The ride through Chicago had its highlights. Podcasting was unique. I really tried hard to remain silent the entire time as I have no desire to hear my voice in the public arena but a few times my boisterous personality won out. Hence the Stu’s the lube man quote. You will have to listen to the GYGO podcast this Friday for more details on that though. We had a minor car accident (just a fender bender, moving like 3mph). I was amazed at how cool Wil was about it and we were seriously back on the road within minutes. (And nope we weren't podcasting when it happened) Unfortunately my rest stop didn’t go quite so quickly. My peanut sized bladder contributed to a 45 minute detour through the middle of Chicago. Other than that the only car excitement involved almost losing the bikes. I swear I am going to buy a roof rack if I ever have to take multiple bikes anywhere again. The whole trip I kept looking at the bikes every few minutes or so, I was so paranoid that they were going to shift and fall off the car. We did almost lose them twice so I guess my nerves were semi justified.
We were supposed to be at dinner at 7 but there was absolutely no way we were going to make it in time. How freaking nice are Stu, RobbyB, and Thomps? They freaking waited outside for us for 2 hours! It actually worked out that we were late as SLS and her hubby were coming in from MN late too. We finally got to our hotel, ditched the bikes, and headed over. Luckily the restaurant was in walking distance so we didn’t have to deal with directions or anything.
It was apparent when we arrived that the boys had already been giving the waiter a hard time. We did finally get some bread to chow on though and put in our orders. To my horror they did not have any bud light and I was forced to try something new. I think it was Hefeweizen (no clue how to spell that), and it was actually good.
Stu and RobbyB Pondering
Somehow Stu and I got in a friendly contest. I still have no clue what the rules were even, but I think Stu won. His disbelief in the Liger did lead to me getting a few points in our competition. I am sure you will hear about it in the podcast but let’s just say we compared the lion and tiger breeding to horse and donkey breeding and it didn’t result in a Liger and Mule being born. Stu did not believe me when I told him that I had actually seen a Liger so this link is for Stu. I will have to look through and see if I actually have one of the photos I took while at Turpentine Creek. So to end this argument (similar to Wil’s giant jellyfish) yes Liger’s are real (although they are not really bred for their skills in magic)!
Jade the Liger
Lots of fun stories were told which ended in more of our fun quotes from the weekend. I think my fave was probably "that's not my camelback...". Orginating from a few different stories of runners/triathletes taking care of business on the run.Dinner was wonderful, at first I didn't think I liked my lobster ravioli but I finished it without too much effort. And no, despite suggestions I did not lick the plate. But I do drink the milk out of my cereal bowl at home and it drives me nuts when people leave edible food on their plates :) I guess I am extremely lucky that the training I do allows me to indulge in the foods I like in large quantities.
The Crew (minus me)
No one else seemed up to dessert so I almost passed but they pulled my leg (all right so it took just one reccommendation that I indulge) and I ended up ordering the Tiramisu. It was really freaking good. Check out Wil's blog for a pic. I think that the Hefeweizen and Tiramisu were key # 2 to my legs feeling so great on Saturday's ride.
We continued to chat away but eventually made our way to the exit and called it a night.
IronWil Blogging
Went back to the hotel and prepped our gear for the night and we all took a quick turn at the computer (okay so we are all addicted). Thank goodness for TriSaraTops and her bag full of goodies. I grabbed some gels for the ride in the morning and hoped that on top of Gatorade and CarboPro would get me through.
All of these were organized inside baggies inside the bag!
More on days 2 and 3 later!
Double Tag
Still digesting this weekend hopefully I will be able to post about it in full soon.
In the meantime...
I'm It...
I have been tagged by DaisyDuc and Reddy...so here goes:
four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Arby's Shift Manager
2. Sheet Music Store Clerk
3. Waitress at a mom and pops diner
4. Environmental Consultant
four movies I watch over and over:
1. Napoleon Dynamite
2. French Kiss
3. Labyrinth
4. Office Space
four places I have lived:
1. born & raised in Belleville Mi
2. 4 yrs college in Tiffin, OH
3. Chagrin Falls, Ohio
4. Richmond Heights, Ohio
four TV shows I love to watch:
No cable right now but I used to watch these:
1. Queer Eye
2. Simpsons
3. That 70s Show
4. Will and Grace
four places I have been on vacation:
1. Cancun
2. Yellowstone
3. Montreal
4. Badlands
four websites I visit daily:
1. cnn.com
2. http://www.comics.com/comics/getfuzzy/
3. bloglines.com
4. http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/index.jhtml
four of my favorite foods:
1. Spinach
2. Popcorn
3. Steak
4. Ice Cream
four places I would rather be right now:
1. Running
2. Swimming
3. With Family
4. With Friends
four favorite bands/singers:
1. Buddy Rich Band
2. David Sanborn
3. DMB
4. BNL
Anyone who hasn't been tagged feel free!
In the meantime...
I'm It...
I have been tagged by DaisyDuc and Reddy...so here goes:
four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Arby's Shift Manager
2. Sheet Music Store Clerk
3. Waitress at a mom and pops diner
4. Environmental Consultant
four movies I watch over and over:
1. Napoleon Dynamite
2. French Kiss
3. Labyrinth
4. Office Space
four places I have lived:
1. born & raised in Belleville Mi
2. 4 yrs college in Tiffin, OH
3. Chagrin Falls, Ohio
4. Richmond Heights, Ohio
four TV shows I love to watch:
No cable right now but I used to watch these:
1. Queer Eye
2. Simpsons
3. That 70s Show
4. Will and Grace
four places I have been on vacation:
1. Cancun
2. Yellowstone
3. Montreal
4. Badlands
four websites I visit daily:
1. cnn.com
2. http://www.comics.com/comics/getfuzzy/
3. bloglines.com
4. http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/index.jhtml
four of my favorite foods:
1. Spinach
2. Popcorn
3. Steak
4. Ice Cream
four places I would rather be right now:
1. Running
2. Swimming
3. With Family
4. With Friends
four favorite bands/singers:
1. Buddy Rich Band
2. David Sanborn
3. DMB
4. BNL
Anyone who hasn't been tagged feel free!
Not Quite a Century
But I did get in 70 really fun miles today!
We tackled some hills and hung out with some really cool people in the process. SimplyStu is just as energetic in person as he is in the podcast and IronWil is very genuine and equally fun. I met a bunch of new bloggers (well new to me anyways) who I will definitely have to follow as they get ready to kick some serious butt in Wisconsin Ironman. SLS, RobbyB, Thomps, and RBR were all awesome. I must admit I am a bit jealous I won't be able to tackle the whole course with these guys in a few short months but I have full confidence they are all going to do great.
Trisaratops did a freaking awesome job today. I am so confident that she will kick butt in the Ironman. Those hills are as good as rocked.
I was pleasantly surprised by my cycling abilities today. I only walked up one hill and that's because it was covered in pea gravel. Decided it wasn't worth risking a spill for one more hill. I didn't feel great the first 30 miles but the last 40 were wonderful. I felt strong and I felt like I could ride forever. I had to ask several times if the hills I had just climbed were indeed the "hard" ones the crew had mentioned because I thought they would be worse.
I will tell you what I am SOOO freaking glad I did not do GTC half iron on a whim last year as the hills there are freaking bad a$$ and I now am confident that I won't see anything I haven't seen on the bike in Steelhead and I am fully prepared to slowly but surely ride my way through that bike course on August 5th.
On a sad note my sunscreen decided not to work at all on my left arm and it freaking hurts! It is pretty red and extremely sore.
Just waiting for IronWil to get back from her flighty adventure with Stu and then we are off to hit the town. Perhaps some dancing maybe a friendly putt putt match? Who knows!
We tackled some hills and hung out with some really cool people in the process. SimplyStu is just as energetic in person as he is in the podcast and IronWil is very genuine and equally fun. I met a bunch of new bloggers (well new to me anyways) who I will definitely have to follow as they get ready to kick some serious butt in Wisconsin Ironman. SLS, RobbyB, Thomps, and RBR were all awesome. I must admit I am a bit jealous I won't be able to tackle the whole course with these guys in a few short months but I have full confidence they are all going to do great.
Trisaratops did a freaking awesome job today. I am so confident that she will kick butt in the Ironman. Those hills are as good as rocked.
I was pleasantly surprised by my cycling abilities today. I only walked up one hill and that's because it was covered in pea gravel. Decided it wasn't worth risking a spill for one more hill. I didn't feel great the first 30 miles but the last 40 were wonderful. I felt strong and I felt like I could ride forever. I had to ask several times if the hills I had just climbed were indeed the "hard" ones the crew had mentioned because I thought they would be worse.
I will tell you what I am SOOO freaking glad I did not do GTC half iron on a whim last year as the hills there are freaking bad a$$ and I now am confident that I won't see anything I haven't seen on the bike in Steelhead and I am fully prepared to slowly but surely ride my way through that bike course on August 5th.
On a sad note my sunscreen decided not to work at all on my left arm and it freaking hurts! It is pretty red and extremely sore.
Just waiting for IronWil to get back from her flighty adventure with Stu and then we are off to hit the town. Perhaps some dancing maybe a friendly putt putt match? Who knows!
WIBA
Blogging from Madison Wisconsin Baby.
About to head out to the Ironman Wisconsin Bike Course with IronWil, SimplyStu, Trisaratops and friends. Should be a good time! It is going to be hot and hilly!
Looking forward to hanging out with some really cool people and getting stronger in the process!
About to head out to the Ironman Wisconsin Bike Course with IronWil, SimplyStu, Trisaratops and friends. Should be a good time! It is going to be hot and hilly!
Looking forward to hanging out with some really cool people and getting stronger in the process!
Rained Out Again
Bailed on the 5k this morning. It was storming like you would not believe and the storms woke me up around 2 AM. I didn't get back to sleep real quickly and when I awoke at 6 it was still lightning and thunder like you would not believe so I turned off the alarm and went back to bed. Now I have to decide if a run or cleaning the house takes more priority today. It is supposed to be 85 and thunderstorms all day.
Happy 4th everyone!
Going to sign up for a sprint tri in Michigan on the 16th of July. Need to get in my transition practice before Steelhead! The race is very well attended and they give awesome prizes for first in each leg. Maybe I should just go real easy on the swim and bike and hammer the run? ;) My cousin and my baby sis are going to do it too. Last year I got KT to do it on a whim with no training so it will be her second and my cousins first tri. Should be fun! The after tent rivals any other race I have went too. Plenty of good fluids and food.
E. Out
Happy 4th everyone!
Going to sign up for a sprint tri in Michigan on the 16th of July. Need to get in my transition practice before Steelhead! The race is very well attended and they give awesome prizes for first in each leg. Maybe I should just go real easy on the swim and bike and hammer the run? ;) My cousin and my baby sis are going to do it too. Last year I got KT to do it on a whim with no training so it will be her second and my cousins first tri. Should be fun! The after tent rivals any other race I have went too. Plenty of good fluids and food.
E. Out
Favorites
My favorite moments from yesterdays ride:
TriSara and I discussing what SimplyStus surprise this weekend might be. "Surprise girls I brought Heather Gollnick to lead the ride" Haha we would be dead!
IronJohnny when we finally stopped to ask for shelter explaining our plight. "See we thought we were Ironmen..."
Watching a horse roll around in the sun (before the storm hit).
Passing by the Arboretum and a gorgeous garden.
Seeing the Chagrin River in all its glory along with tons of gravel bars (it's an environmental scientist (aka geek) thing)
Knowing that if the storm hadn't of hit I wasn't going to have any trouble finishing that course yesterday.
TriSara and I discussing what SimplyStus surprise this weekend might be. "Surprise girls I brought Heather Gollnick to lead the ride" Haha we would be dead!
IronJohnny when we finally stopped to ask for shelter explaining our plight. "See we thought we were Ironmen..."
Watching a horse roll around in the sun (before the storm hit).
Passing by the Arboretum and a gorgeous garden.
Seeing the Chagrin River in all its glory along with tons of gravel bars (it's an environmental scientist (aka geek) thing)
Knowing that if the storm hadn't of hit I wasn't going to have any trouble finishing that course yesterday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)