Fall is in the Air

Ah... the leaves changing, cooler weather, mid-season in college football... MID-OCTOBER!

I spent Saturday of last weekend on a bike ride up in Thurmont, MD. Helen, Andrea, and I decided to take the ride leisurely (as to ride like "normal" people), taking in the sights, sounds, and smells (well, many of the smells were not-so-pleasant) in the Maryland countryside. I nearly strangled Helen with a thorn bush, however, as we stopped mid-ride for a much needed pee break. The ride was an easy 26 miles (the rest of the crowd went 33, but for some reason, 33 just seemed so much further than 26 miles, so we stuck with the shorter route).

So, fall Saturdays.... COLLEGE FOOTBALL. I was rather fired up for the Tigers. It was my first opportunity to watch the game with the LSU alumni. I hung out with them for the 1st 3 quarters, and feeling pretty confident, I elected to leave and join the Team Z end-of-season party. I listened to ESPN radio enroute to the party, and my confidence levels were quickly dashed. At least it's been a season of upsets for EVERYONE. Lee Corso (from ESPN) still has LSU-OU as his pick for going to the BCS Championship.

Sunday, Sunday, I needed to knock out one last LONG run in preps for the NYC marathon. It helped a lot not traveling or racing and simply having a normal weekend at home for once. For the first time in 6 weeks, as a matter of fact. I did a nice run around Washington DC, along Rock Creek Parkway, thru the Zoo, down Conn Ave, by the White House, along K St, along the Mall, and back on the Mt Vernon path in Virginia. About 17-18 miles in all. Was a little tired at the end, but it gave me a lot more confidence for NYC. NYC will be a marathon-for-fun, but it'll give me a head start for winter Ironman training.

Viva Las Vegas

The final trip of my whirlwind of a September/early October concluded with a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate Dad's 60th birthday. A group of 4 of us made the trip for a memorable weekend: Dad, Patrick, my uncle Frank, and yours truly. Patrick had never been to Las Vegas before and figured it would be fun to come, especially with the opportunity to take advantage of Dad's comps.



The weather was unseasonably cool, with highs in the 70s. Friday, Patrick and I ventured out to Red Rock Canyon, with plans of doing an easy hike. However, the winds were strong (heard up to 50 mph gusts), making it feel super chilly. So, needless to say, our visit was confined to the vistor's center and the scenic drive, with the occasional popping out of the car for photos. Very pretty though.

Later on Friday, Dad decided to treat all of us to a helicopter trip over the Grand Canyon. I'd never been in a helicopter before and it was certainly surreal. The flight to the Canyon only took about 1/2 hour, flying essentially along the Colorado River, over Lake Mead, and over the Hoover Dam. With the high winds, the ride was a little rough. The pilot kept assuring us that we were perfectly safe, that helicopters can handle a lot, and the winds were "nothing". I'm not so sure I'd want to find out when the winds are "something". The Grand Canyon was rather breathtaking. As much of a National Park buff as I am, it's surprising I'd never been there before.

Saturday was little more low key, with a walk along the Strip and our actual 60th birthday celebration with decorations and cake.

Saturday evening ended fantastically, with going to see Jay Leno do standup and a fabulous LSU victory.... GEAUX TIGERS!

So, today is Sunday and everyone from our group has departed except me. Yes, I went for a long run. No, I did not go as far as scheduled. I felt great, the weather was perfect.... but I need to start wearing compression shorts during a run. I got some nasty chaffing inside my thighs. Ouch. I simply couldn't take it anymore. Needless to say, my final long training run is postponed to next weekend at home. I am shortly going to venture to get a massage at the spa, chill at the pool, and get a mani/pedi before leaving for the airport later tonight. Back to reality tomorrow....

not quite 18 in New Orleans

Actually, not even close. On the marathon training schedule: 18 miles. Actual miles: 7. UG!

Came on down to New Orleans for pleasure for once, versus my regular business trips. Mission: LSU vs Tulane game. It was great to see the Tigers win, although it seemed as though they weren't focused on the game, especially for the first half. Interesting to see that 3 other teams in the top 5 lost this weekend: WVU, Florida, & OU. Hmmm....

Anyway, back to the run. So, when to run 18 miles? With an early (11am) kickoff for the LSU game, I knew it was going to be impossible to run beforehand. Could run Sunday morning, but flight home departs at 11:20. ??? I decided to behave (i.e. no alcohol) the 2nd half of the game and run afterwards. Big mistake.

I ran from the Irish Channel, along Magazine St, into the French Quarter, and into the Marigny. It was about 5000% humidity outside (thanks to an unexpected afternoon rainshower earlier) and I was beginning to wonder if I was going to projectile vomit my Accelerade. (Lovely picture, I know.) Plus, I borrowed socks from Susannah (forgot my own) and they were beginning to tear up my feet. On top of it all, I pulled something in my butt. Great. Needless to say, I hobbled the 3 miles back to McKinney's.

Now what? I'm slated to run 20 next weekend in Las Vegas. Push back training schedule a week and attempt 16-18 in Las Vegas instead? UG!

Double the Pleasure at Smallwood

Time to end the 2007 triathlon season with a bang. So, why not do the doubleheader at General Smallwood? Saturday was an olympic distance race with plans to "race" it and Sunday was a sprint just for fun.

General Smallwood State Park is where I did my first olympic distance triathlon back in 2003 when it was run by a different race organization (no longer in business) and known as the Spud Triathlon. What's funny is Team in Training was there, led by Coach Ed, and I saw them all over the course. Who would have ever guessed that months later I'd do Team in Training and Ed would become my coach as well from then on.

So, the venue was a little special to me. I was fired up for my end of season "A" race and somehow I was assigned 6 as my bib race number. Hmmm.... I'm not exactly an elitist. I felt like I had to go hard to not let the race number down, as though I had some sort of reputation to uphold.

Swim started off well. The water was shallow with lots of vegetation, but overall I felt great. In fact, fastest race swim pace to date! I guess my swimming is improving after all!

I felt strong on the bike. A couple of the rolling hills early on were a bit of a challenge, but overall I seemed to maintain a decent pace. I came into transition at the 2 hour mark and thought I could break 3 hours... which I've never done in an olympic distance triathlon. I was rather excited at the prospect.

The run started off a little challenging, with hills leaving the park. After the turnaround, a hill I enjoyed decending moments earlier was a bit of a challenge coming up. My dreams of breaking 3 hours seemed to be no longer attainable. I did however, finish very strong, leaving it all on the table the last mile of the run.

Swim: 31:08 (1.5K or 0.93 miles)

Bike: 1:23:46 (24 miles)

Run: 1:02:15 (10K or 6.2 miles)

Finish: 3:04:03

Ok, so I didn't quite break 3 hours. Close though. Maybe a goal for next summer? And I did get a personal record! Now, the PR is in big thanks to the swim. My swimming has greatly improved since my early triathlon days. As for the bike and the run.... slipping. Both my bike and my run were slower than at Spud 3 years ago. Work on my weaknesses (see off season goals) and I'll be good to go.

Post race, time to knock back a couple beers and catch some LSU football. I was camping for the night with a handful of other Team Z'ers. I brought my TV and set up a la tailgating style for LSU-South Carolina. Signs of a true football fan. GEAUX TIGERS. We're now 4-0.

Sunday's race was truly for fun. Carol "Camel" was also doing the doubleheader and we chatted about doing the race together. She started in the wave after me, however, so we agreed to just see how things went. I figured she'd catch up to me.

I was feeling yesterday's race on the bike. Legs were a wee bit sore. And then the run, even more so. Those semi-challenging hills on Saturday were even more challenging on Sunday. Camel caught up to me. It was fabulous to run the last couple miles and finish with her. Whoo-hoo!

What's next? NYC Marathon and enjoying the off-season. Take dance lessons, go backpacking, and see what else.

Oh and for doing the double header, I got a free race entry for next year....

(Thanks to Aaron Swartzbard for pictures 1 & 2 and Harriet Finkle for pictures 3 & 4)

Take a Dash on the Silver Comet

Last week I ventured to Atlanta for a class (unsteady modeling... doesn't sound terribly exciting, but it was truly a worthwhile class) and stayed through the weekend to hang with Patrick, a friend and colleague who lives there.

As the NYC Marathon looms over my head, I was slated to run 16 miles (wound up going 14 due to time and pace). Patrick suggested we venture to the Silver Comet, a rail-to-trail conversion 60 miles in total length. Nice trail, lots of shade. Patrick supported me from his bicycle and took this video of me at about mile 11:

As you can see, I have a tendency to lean towards the left. Ed (my coach) and Kerri (my PT) have been on me for this for a while. I certainly don't notice this when I run, not feeling discomfort or anything on one side. But, improving my form will likely improve my endurance and speed. Hmmm. So, as the triathlon season is nearing a close, I've come up with some goals for the off-season.

1. Improve running form. Work on core strength and running drills. Endurance in running will come with doing the NYC and Austin Marathons.

2. Back to basics in swimming. My swimming progress seems to regress. Triathlete magazine just had an article on 12 weeks to becoming a better swimmer. Perhaps I'll take a break from swimming with the team and just return to basics.

3. Improve cycling cadence. This needs improvement for endurance. And with quicker cadence will come faster speeds.

4. Drop some weight. I'm about 10-15 lbs heavier than I'd like to be. I just need to be disciplined in the diet.

Inaugural Annapolis Triathlon

I knew going into the race that this one would be purely for fun. A bigger event for the weekend, from my point of view, was the LSU-Virginia Tech football game. Anyone who knows me well enough, knows that I'm an LSU Tiger through and through. The unfortunate thing, was kickoff was not slated until 9:15 pm- the day before an early race. Ouch!

I had plans to meet up with Coach Ed and a few others from our team, as he and others are all Virginia Tech alumni. My only ally for the game was Susan, who I'm not sure was rooting as much for LSU as just against VT.

I was expecting a battle between the two teams, but as we now know, it wasn't much of one. Early into the 1st half, LSU was dominating. With the early start the next morning, everyone bailed out on watching before halftime.

Susan and I decided to watch a while longer, before we could no longer stand the smokiness in the bar ourselves. We planned to go and listen to the game in her car, and maybe just sleep in the car itself. After all, everyone was camping about 12 miles away from Annapolis, and neither of us much felt like driving there, setting up camp in the dark, and dealing with tear-down of the campsite at o'dark-thirty the next morn. Besides, I had way too many beers watching football all evening.

We got to Susan's car and almost instantly I fell asleep. So much for listening to the rest of the game. I woke at 2:17 in the morning, and found myself highly uncomfortable, in some contorted position in the passenger seat. I debated leaving and going to sleep in my car, but eventually decided that it was safer sleeping in her car, with the two of us, in a guarded parking garage, rather than solo in my car on the street.

Susan needed to be at the race at 4am since she was officiating, so when it was time for her to wake, I walked to my car, drove to the race, and took a 1/2 hour power nap before it was time to get organized for the race.

The triathlon had a two-transition set-up, meaning our swim-to-bike transition and our bike-to-run transition were in two different locations. I'd never done a race like that before, and it was an interesting concept, but forced ourselves to be much more conscientious about what we placed in transition.

The finish line, where our cars were parked, and T2 (bike-to-run) were in the same area. We set up T2 and hopped on a bus to take us to T1, where we had racked our bikes the night before.

In T1, Holly, Talia, and I lamented about doing the race. It was Talia's 21st birthday. (She watched the game with us the night before and had a couple of shots, but overall was behaving.) Anyway, with the logisitics of the race and all, we all agreed we'd just get through it and next year this race is a no-go.

Matt Lynn was in a panic mode. He hadn't run since Eagleman (back in June). And with the two transition areas, he realized that he had left his helmet and his sunglasses back in Jenni Banks' car. Ooops. And had forgotten his wetsuit at home. (The wetsuit was not a huge deal, as the water was plenty warm. It was more for protection against the expected high number of sea nettles in the water.) Matt was eventually squared away.

Also during race set-up, I saw Robyn, Mary Lou, and Jess Harmon! Jess! Back from California! I found out she moved back to DC way back in January. It was good to see them and secretly wished they'd rejoin Team Z. (They were part of it all when Team Z was first formed.)

I hung with Kelly Green pre-race as we were in the same wave. I knew I wouldn't see her again. (She rocked with a 2nd place finish in our age group!)

OK, time to race. The cool thing about the race start, is that it was in the heart of downtown Annapolis. We swam in the Severn River, but it meandered through the boat harbor, and then hugged the Naval Academy. Cool concept, but not the best swimming. The swim was less than a mile, but seemed like 3. I was so glad to get out of the water. I saw Talia in T1 and she agreed that it was endless.

Time to bike. The bike course started out in downtown Annapolis, but afterwards, the course was nothing special. A nice thing was that the bulk of it was out-and-back, so I saw several other Team Z'ers from earlier waves on their return leg. I was a little weak in my biking (after all, I had maybe about 3 hours of sleep and perhaps a slight hangover). And my nutrition was suffering. I didn't eat a big enough breakfast (ONLY a Boost and a Clif Blok). I was downing my gels and my Accelerade (lost a bottle during the ride), but it was far not enough.

I was glad when the bike leg was over.

So, the run course was changed for some reason, and we looped concentric circles around the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium (NMCS) before doing and out-and-back in one direction and an out-and-back in another direction before finishing inside the NMCS. The run started out in the grass (which I hate), and with the hundreds of others running on it before me, parts of it were sloppy. At least on the out-and-backs I saw several teammates, including Talia who was drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade (during the race)... after all it was her 21st birthday. She whispered to me that she was getting stomach cramps, but we both just laughed. Another plus, was at the cross point of the out-and-backs, our Team Z cheering committee was out there in full force. Fantastic. I was proudly wearing my LSU visor during the run and Ed gave me a little grief.

Swim: 36:38 (1.5K)

T1: 3:53

Bike: 1:23:01 (40K)

T2: 2:55

Run: 1:13:39 (10K)

Finish: 3:20:03

Labor Day in Bellingham

My second trip up to the Pacific NW this summer! And timed appropriately with recovery week.

I did my long run (7.5 miles) on Friday, along the South Bay Trail. This trail, connecting downtown Bellingham to the historic district of Fairhaven, is a rail-to-trail conversion, running parallel with Bellingham Bay. It's highly popular with both casual bikers and runners. It suited me perfectly for my run. I'm still feeling slight tenderness from my crash, but it fades once I get moving, so hopefully when I start truly gearing up for the NYC Marathon, I'll be back in action.

I worked a race on Saturday, called the Bellingham Traverse (http://www.bellinghamtraverse.com/). The course is supposed to follow the life cycle of a salmon (only in Washington!), and is a multileg race consisting of running, kayaking, mountain biking, and road biking, either as a team or solo. The finish line is at the brewery (http://www.bbaybrewery.com/) a couple doors down from my mom's condo (how convenient!), so it worked out well for me to work timing. It was a fun race to watch! The big chatter amongst the racers and organizers was next weekend's Hill Climb. It's a 24.5 mile ride along Mt. Baker Highway, but with a 4300' elevation gain, with 3/4 of the elevation gain on the second half of the climb. (http://www.norkarecreation.com/hcinfo.htm) The race is expecting some pro cyclists, as a $4000 award is available for the record. The hill climb is certainly on my radar screen. Maybe next year? Just to give it a try.

Otherwise, the weekend was filled with the tourism bit in and around Bellingham. Zip over to Lummi Island (the "forgotten San Juan Island") for the artist studio show, boat tour of Bellingham Bay (saw lots of harbor seals, but missed out on the pod of orcas... ug!)

I took my mom out on an easy hike in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie Forest (really, just an extension of North Cascades National Park), along the Horseshoe Bend trail, hugging the Nooksack River. We recalled having gone white water rafting, starting in this same spot. Very nice trail, very family friendly. I think she's going to return soon.

Of course, we made a visit to the Mt Baker Vineyard on the way back (it's on the way after all).

All in all, good trip. Is a move out there in my future?

Still recovering

Erg! I tried running today for the first time since my bike crash. Alas, I was only able to run for about 10 minutes before it became too uncomfortable. So, I then walked for an hour. At least that was something. I'm too nervous to try biking again quite yet. At least I can swim to get some aerobic exercise. (Walking is nice, but gets too boring and I don't get my heart rate up enough.)

Perhaps it was naive of me to think I could be back running and biking a week later. I'm mostly healed up, but I still have a nasty bruise at my tailbone and some lighter bruises on my butt. It's uncomfortable to apply pressure there; even wearing tight pants is uncomfortable.

I know I should truly consider myself lucky considering how badly the accident looked. And yet, it's still highly frustrating.

At least I can swim. And Carol "Camel" showed me some exercises to work my core muscles that will keep my backside off the floor.

My First Road Bike Accident

I've had a couple of mountain biking accidents, requiring medical attention, but this Sunday's ride was my first time crashing on my road bike.

It was a great day for a ride. A fun-filled weekend started out with Angel Helen's wedding out in Linden, where a few of us crashed at the house Friday night. I got up Saturday morning and went for a trail run along the Appalachian Trail, which crossed nearby the house. The run was fun and leisurely, and I stopped at one of the huts along the AT (built for thru-hikers) to read the log book and make an entry myself.

The wedding itself was beautiful! Helen and Noah seem truly truly happy.

Then Saturday night I went with Jenn Byl to see Dave Matthews. What an amazing concert!

After a full day Saturday (and not getting to bed until about 1am), I was debating whether or not I'd even make the ride. However, I saw that several others were going, I didn't want to ride solo later in the day, wanted to get on my bike due to a trip to Louisiana this week, and figured with 40 miles, I'd be home early enough to take a nap in the afternoon if needed.

So, the ride started out fun and fantastic. We rode out from Riley's Lock, which is easily accessible from the Metro D.C. area. There's some great scenery and hills in that area. At about mile 26, we approached a left turn. My group didn't anticipate it well, saw the road late, and accidentally failed to signal a left turn. I made the turn wide (I was going pretty fast descending down a hill), whereas another girl (someone new to our team) made a sharp turn. I saw I was going into her. My bike skid on some gravel in the intersection and I slid right into her. I hope she's all right, but I do know the accident caused some damage to her rear derailleur. (I think she was otherwise going to continue riding, so I believe she's all right.)

I crashed on my left side. From the initial impact, I was reluctant to move. Alisa called up Ed to let him know what happened. I could still wiggle my toes and all, so we knew I was fundamentally ok. I suffered from a minor concussion, as I have a small bump on my head, had some nausea, and initially could not remember exactly what happened. I got my wits about me quickly though. Thank goodness for helmets as mine took the brunt of the fall.

I also have some road rash on my left shoulder and back. My bike jersey is tattered. I felt hardest on my left hip and butt. That's the most sore. I've got scrapes from the road rash and some bruises, but like I said, overall I'm ok. Ed pointed out that I should consider myself very lucky.

Ed and Talia drove me home after the ride. I just chilled on the couch and ordered a Domino's pizza. Not sure when I'll be game for some exercise again as I am quite sore. Hopefully I'm out and about soon. :-)

I'll keep the helmet as a reminder why we wear them.

Culpeper Race Report

750 meter swim: 18:19

15 mile bike: 54:23

5K run: 27:45

Finish: 1:44 (82/205 women)

The days leading up to the race were not exactly conducive to triathlon training. A killer project at work kept me there until the wee hours blaring 80's music and keeping Starbucks venti non-fat raspberry mochas a staple in my diet. To add, the weather forecast was hot and word on the street from those that previewed the course was that it was quite hilly. All in all, I was not expecting anything spectacular. After all, though, I do triathlons for the fun of them. And that was my mission for the day.

I drove out bright and early to the race with Holly and Tim. Tim seemed to appreciate being chauffeured as he took a little snooze in the back seat of my SUV en route to the race. Holly and I just chuckled.

The transition area was a sea of Team Z green. I was lucky enough to obtain race number #77, so perhaps I was destined to have a great race day after all?

I knew the water was going to be warm for the swim. I did not quite expect it to resemble one of those mochas I've been living on as of late. Absolutely could not see anything in the water. Another swimmer and I kept bumping into each other. Upon exiting the water, I felt like I had a decent swim, but upon review of my time, my pace was the slowest in over 2 years. Perhaps due to the warm water and lack of wetsuit?

The bike course surprised me. I was expecting some horrid death climb which would cause me to regret bringing my tri bike versus my road bike. The course was a bit challenging, yes, but not nearly as bad as I expected. I was left in the dust by both Kari and Matt (damn, they're fast) and kept Holly in my sights for a majority of the time until the last 1/4 or so of the course. I passed a handful of Z'ers myself, saying hi, as it is always fantastic to see a friendly face out there.

I started out the run slowly as I attempted to get my legs underneath me. The run course had a tough reputation as well, and being unfamiliar with the route, I played it safe. The course was out-and-back, however, and upon the turn-around I asked myself, "was that it?" Yes, maybe a tough hill here and there, but certainly nothing compared to Columbia. The out/back format allowed for plenty of opportunities to cheer on fellow teammates. I believe I negative split the run, but I have no way to verify.

It felt good to finish strong. My bike pace was about average for me, better if the course was actually 16 miles as many think. My run pace was my fastest triathlon race pace in two years!

Congratulations to the many Team Z'rs in their first triathlon. Simply put, it was great to see you out there and enjoy the experience with you.

Next up- Annapolis....

(Thanks to Dan Hicok Photography for all the great shots!)

Ironman Tidbits

While I was up in Lake Placid for the race a couple of weeks ago, a newsletter they handed out was discussing the dedication and training required of Ironman triathletes. It referenced a study performed by the WTC (World Triathlon Corporation). The study "showed that the average Ironman triathlete spends 18-24 hours training for Ironman Hawaii. A typical week includes seven miles of swimming, 225 miles of biking, and 48 miles of running." My friends and I were all in disbelief. The "average" athlete? For a "typical week"? We're not even sure if we did that level of intensity during our toughest training week.

From my last Ironman go around, Coach Ed calculated we swam 170 miles, biked 4,250 miles, and ran 1,225 miles total over the course of our training. Hmm. I'm not sure what his start and finish dates were from those numbers and they were likely determined from our training schedules. As a result, I've elected to post a table off to the side of my blog to keep track of the mileage to date. And once I become a little more proficient at HTML programming, I'd like to add a second table showing my amount of nutrition to date (i.e., gallons of Accelerade sports drink, number of gels...)

I had once read in an article in the local Bellingham, WA sports magazine (where my mom lives) that Bellingham boasted the most Ironman finishers per capita than any other city in the U.S. Interesting. I decided to compare numbers against Arlington, VA, where I live. I counted the number of Ironman finishers (repeat finishers only count once), based on the results listed in NAS, which keeps track of all North American Ironman races (to include Canada, but not Hawaii). I also only based my calculations on the hometown listed in the results themselves. In other words, I know of a couple of other Ironman finishers who live in Arlington but their hometown was listed elsewhere in the results, so they were not counted, as potentially the same situation exists for Bellingham. Anyway, I found that 0.06% of Bellingham's population are Ironman finishers, whereas 0.04% of Arlington's are. Higher, yes, but based on the article, I would have thought that Bellingham's numbers were higher than that. It did appear, though, that Bellingham had far more repeat finishers (again, finishers were only counted once) than Arlington.

Read about Ironman history at http://www.ironman.com/mediacenter/history/ironman-triathlon-world-championship

Any other tidbits? Please feel free to post your comments.

I'm in for Ironman USA (Lake Placid) 2008

This past weekend was the Ironman in Lake Placid. Alisa did absolutely amazing! Several of us rode the bike course (1 loop) on Saturday. Riding the course brought back many memories from one year ago, both good and bad. Overall, I had a fantastic ride. After debating the last several weeks, I elected to commit to training and racing for next year's Ironman. It looks as though I will have an amazing group of people to train with. There are many reasons for electing to go about it again, but the bottom line is I'm doing it for myself.
Registration in person was bright and early Monday morning. After hitting the sack post-race Sunday night (well, really early Monday morning) at 1am, I drove over to the registration line with Chris and Stacy, arriving in line at about 5:45 am. As it was, we were about 50th in line. Here's several pictures from registration, including a pic of Ed cooking breakfast for us. Yeah!

Rocky Gap Xterra (Off-Road Triathlon) Race Report

For my July race, I opted to do something a little different and make a return to Rocky Gap State Park for EX2's off-road triathlon. My overall goals for the race including (1) finish, (2) avoid injury, and (3) have fun. I succeeded in all three.

Due to various reasons, I was unable to make it to the race venue the day prior and elected to go up morning of. I had ridden the course before, 2 years ago, and the race was truly meant solely for fun, so no biggie. I knew of no one else participating in the race, other than some familiar names on the race roster. However, I love EX2's races (always fabulous schwag) and was determined to fulfil my fat tire fix.

I was delighted to discover two fellow Team Z'ers, Dave & Kathy Lett, as I set up. Kathy was racing; Dave was cheering. As they're both new to Team Z, I hadn't prior had much opportunity to speak to them, so seeing them there was a pleasant surprise. They introduced me to their friends and fellow racers. And soon it was time to enter the corral to get "counted" and begin the race.

This race is my only experience with Xterra, but the swim is nothing but a typical triathlon swim. I have done two-loop swims in races before, but generally that means a quick run out-run in, lasting just a few seconds. In this one, there's a good 1/4 mile run, over a hill, between the two swim loops. This was my first race swim since my poor experience at Columbia, so I was truly delighted to have a pleasant, relaxed swim, despite the HR skyrocking between swim loops. Ooops.

Naturally, the bike was next. The course is billed as "semi-technical". I think that's based on the overall "average" of the course. It's a two-loop course, about each loop a little under 9 miles. Now, part of it is asphalt, part of it is semi-technical singletrack, and part of it is downright hard. In support of goal #2 (avoid injury), I played it conservatively on the ride. I joked around with Brian McKnight (one of the photographers who always seems to be in just the right location) and fellow racers. On my first attempt up Evitt's Revenge, the race leaders zipped up the hill effortlessly past me. Oh well.

On the second loop, the strangest thing happened to me yet in a race: I lost the soles to both of my mountain bike shoes. Early on in the second loop, I noted that the sole of my right shoe was flopping around. I thought not much of it under I unclipped from my pedals (again in support of goal #2) and the entire thing just peeled off all together. Unsure quite what to do with the thing, I chucked it on the side of the trail. (Generally I try to adhere to the rules and only throw trash in view of aid stations.) Without a cleat, or rather without an entire shoe bottom, I wound up having to pedal with essentially only a sock on my right foot. Not too comfortable with clipless pedals. Oh well, I continued on in support of goal #1 (finish). The situation was not a show stopper.

I continued on, and to my surprise, a mile or two up the trail, my left shoe sole peeled off! Huh? At least this time, the sole stayed clipped into the pedal, so I was able to utilize it as a platform of sorts.

I showed my situation to fellow racers along the course as we chit-chat and joked. A few times I had to drag my bike across the challenging terrain, resulting in my rear tire getting dislodged at one point. As I fixed it, I somehow got my chain all twisted and could not help but laugh and received help thanks to a NV Racing member.

My bike was thrashed by the time I finished the bike leg. My bike could have used a tune-up before; it definitely needs one now.

All right. Time to run. The run leg is 5 miles and it truly is a technical run. It's not a matter of a simple dirt trail in the park. The run requires mental alertness as a misstep can result in bodily harm. (Recall goal #2- avoid injury.) I went along with ease, passing several people (ok, we were all in the back-of-the-pack, but I was glad that I was racing with relative discipline) along the trail. My one complaint about the race: lack of aid stations on the run. The heat of the day was rapidly rising and our first run aid station did not come until over 2 miles into the run. I was absolutely desperate for fluids upon arrival and immediately downed 3 cups of Gatorade. I recalled in my previous race I was able to take a bottle of Gatorade with me, but they were unable to support that request this go-around.

Along the way, I chit-chat with a gentleman who was lamenting that his son had finished the race as he started the run loop. His son is my age (and a fellow Ironman finisher) and I encouraged him (at least I hope I did) as we reached Evitt's Revenge for the third time (twice on the bike, once on the run). I don't forsee getting my dad to do a triathlon with me anytime soon! Let alone an Xterra!

The run loop is essentially over at the end of the Evitt Mountain Homeside Trail, with a climb on all fours. There is then a 1-mile run along the road to the finish.

Kathy finished the race placing 4th in our age group. Congratulations to her. Me? I think 10th out of 12. Oh well. I refer again to my race goals. I succeeded in all three.

Visit to Chicago

Time for a little break from triathlon... I spent the long 4th of July weekend visiting the family in Chicago. I was actually able to drag my dad to the city (he HATES the city) for some daddy-daughter time eating our way at the Taste of Chicago. He was amazingly thrilled to enjoy the city from a tourist point-of-view and looks forward to doing so again. Additionally, I was there for my cousin's Keith's wedding (Mom's side of family). Here we all are (well, minus bride and groom). Yes, I do wear something besides running/biking/swim clothes... once in a while.

My Columbia Triathlon Race Report - 1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run

May 20, 2007


And so, my spring “A” race…

I had high expectations of this race, in retrospect too high. Deep down, I secretly knew that my day wouldn’t be as perfect as I had hoped. I had negative factors against my control. For one, the frequent travel to New Orleans, with a visit as recently as two days before the race. And two, it’s allergy season, with differing allergens in the mid-Atlantic and the Deep South. Nevertheless, I had dreams of breaking 3 hours.

I struggled a lot with the swim. In fact, it was my toughest tri swim since I started seeing Coach Ed over 2 years ago. Almost from the get-go, I was nauseous in the water. What was it? Was it the Gu I had just prior to race start? Was it the taste/smell of the water? None of it seemed to add up. I flailed about, panicking in the water. I wound up swimming on my back for a good part of the race, trying from time-to-time to flip back onto my belly (after all this was my “A” race and I wanted to go faster) but every time I put my face in the water, I nearly vomited. I eventually was able to flip onto my belly and stay there for the last third or so of the race, but with a struggle. Talking to my mom later, knowing I’m a terrible spring allergy sufferer, she asked if my ears were plugged. Indeed they were, for the entire race. She believes as a result, my equilibrium was thrown off. It sounds as logical as anything, so I’ll go with it. Anyway, in reviewing my swim times through my triathlon career, despite my struggle, I had my fastest pace in a tri swim yet!

For the bike, I erred on the conservative side in an attempt to keep the legs fresh for the run. In hindsight, I was almost too conservative. During the ride, the roads were a little slick and traffic was not considerate. I had one car run me off the road. For the most part though, I did enjoy my ride, seeing Tracey, Joanna, Linda, Monica, Meagan (who zipped by me despite a crash and a flat), and Shannon (as well as the Team Z men heading in) out there. Seeing fellow Team Z’ers is always a relief. Next time, I’ll be more aggressive on the bike, especially since I’m making vast improvements climbing hills.

Ah, the run. I’m not the best hill runner, mostly due to problematic knees. The knees have not been bothering me as of late (knock on wood), but I wasn’t quite ready to let it all out and risk injury either. I ran a good part of the 10K, walking the four or so tough hills. The best part was the course out/back sections, an opportunity to high 5 fellow Z’ers. I was pretty satisfied with my run, with a very strong finish.

My finish time was 3:19 and some change, a disappointment for not breaking 3 hours, but I believe that sub-3 was too lofty of a goal all things considered. I was absolutely wiped afterwards. The travel, the allergies, and the race were just about too much for my body to handle.

Of course, the absolute best part of the day was seeing friendly faces out on the course and on the sidelines. I love sharing in everyone’s personal victories! I apologize to anyone if I came across as cranky post-race. Now that I’ve had some time to relax and reflect, I am very proud of what I did. What we all did. It’s sometimes too easy to forget how few people actually do triathlons and just finishing one is an accomplishment in itself.

A road ride or cyclocross?

Ah, an absolutely beautiful day to ride! Today's 50-miler (ok, really 48 miles) called for a ride in Southern Maryland, with views of the Chesapeake Bay. We rode there in early spring and today's return was much better weather.
A small crowd showed at the ride, with the recently indoctrinated Ironman finishers taking a much needed break. That meant a low showing for the AngelZ. (Although Angel Alisa did not race Coeur d'Alene last weekend, she's presently in Lake Placid previewing the course and doing her last mega-workout before tapering for her race.)
So, Angel Carol and I represented, gaining honorary Angel Carrie for the ride. A nice leisurely pace. Ken Wagner joined us for part of the ride. He's typically a much slower rider, but today was his debut using clipless pedals and he wound up surprising everyone (including himself) by whipping ass and eventually leaving us in the dust.
We had lovely beach views of the Chesapeake, some eye candy as other road riders were out there, and a mini-adventure. Shortly after the midway point, we came across some road construction. With no known detours, we attempted to ride through it. However, there were barricades to climb over and around, grass to tiptoe through, and the general road construction debris. This all required some carrying of the bikes. Hence, it was beginning to resemble a cyclocross race. Hmmmm.
This upcoming week is a recovery week. I'm doing a 5K on the 4th of July. I was hoping to kick some bootie in my last 5K and that didn't happen, so we'll see how this one goes. Then I'm off to Chicago for a 5-day weekend to hang with the family.
Oh, by the way, yesterday, Helen and I ventured out toward our regular riding area, this time wearing actual girlish clothes vs bike gear, and went to visit her wedding venue and then went wine tasting. She marveled at the wonderful wineries in the area and wondered why she hadn't visited before. (I've been known to cap off the end of a training ride with a winery visit. Yeah!) I may have found a new partner in crime for post-ride libations!

Back from CDA

Wow... what a weekend! Am I ready to sign up for next year's Ironman in Lake Placid? Not quite yet.
Anyway, after visiting with Mom and being a tourist in Seattle, Alisa and I headed across the mountains to drive across Washington and into Coeur d'Alene. What a beautiful drive! We got acquainted with CDA, saw some of the Team Z peeps, and went to our volunteer meeting. She and I were slated to work bike transition. Saturday evening ran late with the pre-race dinner, followed by Team Z support planning, and finishing off with chalking the bike course. (And chalking the course proved to be wasted effort, as it was all smeared by the time they actually raced the course, but our good intentions were there.)
Race day started early naturally, and we were all suprised with just how light it was by 4:30. A concern was the water. The water had been choppy and on race day it had up to 4' waves. They even offered a duathlon option to racers, basically cutting out the swim leg (no run in lieu of swim). It looked like 200 or 300 people opted to do skip the swim, but I'm not sure how that affected their results.
Anyway, working bike transition was a lot of fun. The transition area was too tight to deliver bikes to races, but we were able to direct people around and see all of our Team Z racers come into transition and cheer them on. One cool thing, is we checked all the bike tires while the racers were swimming in the water for flats. We found a total of about 6 flat tires. Alisa found one where the tire itself was partly off the rim, getting caught in the brake. We brought the problem bikes to the mechanic, who fixed them, and we returned the bikes. The racers never knew they had a problem with the bike. It was like we were mysterious in the night.
After everyone was on the bike, Alisa and I grabbed a bite to eat at the Team Z tent and then headed out for a long run. I cut my run a little short though, maybe 8 miles (plan was to run 10), as my knees are beginning to act up again. UG!!! Note to self- give knees some TLC!
The team tent was in a fabulous location, where the racers biked past us 4 times and ran past us 3 times. Very spectator friendly.
Members from our team finished one by one, starting with 59-yr-old stud, Chris Wren. As time wore on, the sun set, and the course got lonely. The AngelZ were out still racing. I walked out onto the run course to seek out Helen as Siri gave me word that she was throwing up and her spirits were flat. I found Helen, who had improved, and walked with her and Linda for a while to try and give them a boost. I knew they'd wind up finishing close to midnight.
As midnight approched, I headed toward the finish line to wait. It began to lightly rain and get cold and windy. I cried when I saw Helen and Linda finish together.
Absolutely inspiring.
The funniest story from the weekend was from Michael Warwick. I don't know him well, and I believe this weekend was the first time I've chatted with him. He's pretty cool. Anyway, at about mile 80 of the bike loop (out of 112), he experienced a major problem with his bike. I forgot what it was, but nevertheless, it was a race ending problem. Anyway, he hung out on the side of the road, waiting for the rescue wagon to come get him. A local guy out there cheering noticed Michael's picture of his daughter on his bike and they began to chat. The guy mentioned he had this old bike around the house and Michael would be welcome to use it. He accepted the offer. Out comes this dusty old lime green bike. It had one water bottle cage and needed air in the tires. They did some quick repairs to the bike and Michael was on his way. He actually finished the entire race. Anyway, he was on a mission yesterday to try and retrieve his bike from the mystery local guy. I hope he was successful.
And so yesterday, Alisa and I headed back to the west side of Washington. We nearly ran out of gas though. We stopped for lunch in Ellensburg, on the east side of the Cascades. I noted we were at 1/4 tank and made a mental note to fill up after lunch. That slipped my mind as we left Ellensburg. Going into the Cascades is quite remote. After all, the interstate runs through the Wenachee and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests. Not exactly towns along the way. We make it through Snoqualmie Pass and I finally look at the gas gauge and see it's BELOW E, with the warning light brightly shining. Oh no. I had no idea how long it was on. Luckily, though, we were through the pass and were decending. Alisa was half asleep and seemed unworried, as she said she'd just get out her sleeping bag and sleep on the side of the road. As for me, we were in the middle of NOWHERE... in the mountains.... with little cell phone service! Ok, so I wondered how long we could decend. I saw a sign for the next town, 12 miles away. There's no way we'd make it. I mean, we were BELOW E. And then a miracle occurred... a gas station! We actually made it to fill up! We were saved! So, second note to self... check gas gage twice before driving through the mountains!
Fun weekend. Back to reality though. Time to hit the bike.

One week to the Ironman in Coeur d'Alene

Ah, it's one week to the Ironman in Coeur d'Alene. I'm not racing it, but I'll be on the sidelines cheering my heart out. I'm so proud of the 30 people from Team Z who are participating, and especially excited for those I've become very close to.

This picture is from this week's happy hour. I mostly posted it for my buddy McKinney from New Orleans. He was grumbling at me that I've become some far-too-serious triathlete, and that I never drink beer anymore. That couldn't be further from the truth! (Shame on me!) Anyway, so from left is Helen, Alisa, Trusty Mark (who's very camera shy but seems to be happy here), EB, Joanna, and me... with beer in hand.

My boo-boos from my mountain bike crash are healing, but mentally, I'm still off. I hit the mountain bike singletrack this morning and my radar is off. Hmmm... better get on track soon!

I leave for the Pacific NW on Wednesday, out to spend a couple days with Mom in Bellingham, then hit Seattle, and then road trip to Coeur d'Alene with Alisa to watch the race. On the way back, we're hitting Eastern WA wine country. Yippie! I'm very excited for the trip!

Getting to reacquaint myself with the mountain bike

Ahhh... the mountain bike. It's been a while since I've been on it, last October in fact when I did an adventure race with Tes. I figured it was about time that I get on the darn thing, since I'm doing an off-road triathlon in a month.

Now, mountain biking is truly my first love. I used to actually HATE my road bike. I had one, but only went on it when mountain bike conditions didn't prevail. When I started biking in Louisiana, road biking was monotonous and just plain work. Sure, I did my first century (100-mile bike ride) while I was still living there, only to prove something to myself, and swore up and down I'd never do it again. (I guess I ate my words a few years later.)

Anyway, back to this evening. My ride was first postponed due to severe thunderstorms. After the storm passed, I headed home and decided to do an urban assault (ride around down vs the trails due to lack of light and possibly wrecking the trail due to the rain and potential ruts). I should have known that karma wouldn't play in my favor. Prior to the ride, I had a flat front tire. I began to change it, but as I inflated it, I discovered a pinch flat and immediately wound up blowing the tube with explosive force. BOOM! (I think I woke the neighborhood.) Ok, that was my only spare. But, I was determined. I found that my original tube wasn't damaged, just flat and was still usable. So, I rechanged the tire back with my original tube. Then I inflated my rear tire only to discover that my valve was broken. I quickly placed on the valve cap, figuring it would hold air long enough for me to get in a ride this evening.

Not five minutes into my ride, when I decided, now or never, time to jump the curb. Needless to say, I misjudged the timing on my bunny hop and BOOM! This time it was my body hitting the pavement. #!$^^&#$. Injuries are minor... just scrapes to the knee and elbow, but they sting like heck. Check me out post ride. (Socrates, my cat, wanted to get in the picture too.)

So, what's with me and flats these days? My new road bike, Zorra the Explorer, has had 5 flats on her rear in the last month! I think I've finally resolved the problem, but if I get another flat, she's going into Conte's bike shop for a little check-up.

Anyway, so back to mountain bike crashes. I've never crashed on my road bike (knock on wood), but I've had a couple of horrific mountain bike crashes! As a bonus (and amusement), I thought I'd include a picture after my worst crash. In June 2002, David (boyfriend at the time) and I went for a mountain biking/camping weekend in Desoto State Forest in Southern Mississippi. I was a new mountain biker at the time and shortly after the start of our ride on day 2, I got a little brave and tried to go over an obstacle. I wound up flying over my handlebars and landing square on my face. I chipped 4 teeth and had a swollen nose. (We thought it was broken, since it was off-center, but it was just really swollen.) My mom asked me to take a picture of myself so she could see how awful I looked! So, now I'm sharing it with y'all.

Happy riding!

Just who are those AngelZ?

Ahhh... the AngelZ.... (we have the "Z" at the end to tribute to Team Z).... This picture is of most of us as we prep our Ironman AngelZ for their 120 mile bike ride and modeling off our jerseys!

The AngelZ started last year in preps for Ironman USA. Siri, Helen, Jessica, and Alex all routinely rode the long rides together and dubbed themselves Charlie's Angels, with Alex, the token male, being Charlie. From time to time, other riders would join the Angels on their missions. EB became an official Angel herself. Finally, after a long and tiring season in preps for the Ironman, I finally rode with Charlie's Angels on my 120 mile ride. Our ride started out on Skyline Drive (see Sky-Mass post from last season) and I heard them singing as we climbed the road to Dickey's Ridge. I spent the remainder of the long ride with them and wondered why I hadn't ridden with them earlier! They sing and dance (yes, it is possible to dance on a bike). After spending countless hours on a bicycle, riding with the AngelZ makes it so much more fun! Besides, when else is a good time to catch up with the girls on all the gossip around town? We surely don't have the time and energy to stay up into the wee hours chatting on the phone! So, we multitask as we ride our bikes.

We all stop and wait for another during those necessary potty breaks (and have had some serious bonding doing so), talk of roadkill, muse on upcoming weddings (both Helen and Jess are getting married), and offer each other advise.

And of course there's initiation! I'll leave out the gruesome details.

Lastly, we are always the LAST ones to finish off a ride. (Ok, there have been rare occasions where someone else has had a bad day and we weren't quite last, but as a rule of thumb, we're last.) Maybe we're just more disciplined in riding in our target heart rate zone than everyone else?