I Ran Around a Pool and Swam With the Fishes

Run around a pool you ask? Why yes I did. We have a neighborhood pool a block away from us, and around the pool is this lovely, shaded path. It is a bit over a quarter of a mile, so it makes a great track when you can't get to the track to do a repeat workout. Yesterday the work out was, drum roll please...800 meter repeats! Yay for torturing yourself like that 6 times! Whoopppeeee! Nothing like them.

So we warm up around the neighborhood and get down to them. The first one I did I was pacing too closely with Brad. I think I looked like Beaker from the Muppets by the time my first one was done. Hair standing on end, eyes bugging out. Okay, 400 meter cool down here I come. Alrighty then, here we go again, I paced myself a little better, but ugh....still.....feeling.....like.....I......am......going....to....barf......
There were people working on the pool that had to think who are these lunatics? It's over 80 degrees, and they're running around like a set of mentally deranged loons.

One would think that one work out a day would be enough. Hahahahahaha, phew *wipes tears from eyes and catches breath here* that would be a negatory Houston. Brad is all happy there is a Tri Club open water swim that we will be participating in. Isn't that exciting?? I grudgingly go to these because if I don't, I get wayyyy too grossed out in the open water. It's like I have to learn to deal with the ick factor, and have coping strategies otherwise, well forget it! I cannot do it!

As luck would have it, the swim was cancelled, hooray! I was just so happy to hear that, then Brad calls me with his version of GREAT NEWS! Our friend Craig has a place where we can open water swim. The thing that gets me is I don't even get an option, he never gives me the chance to bag out of an open water swim. Maybe this is a good thing because if it were up to me, I wouldn't do them at all, but I digress. We are meeting Craig at 6, hooray for swimming with living things around you!!

As far as swimming in open water, this wasn't half bad. It was a little unnerving that I was playing with froggies to be that were at the foot of this lake. It was a little cold for me at first, a bit disorienting and I had to take my first couple of strokes with my face barely in the water. After I got acclimated I watched Craig and Brad swim way far ahead of me. I got to practice sighting which I don't get to do enough. I sighted them a bajillion meters ahead of me, but it was all good. I take a slower and steadier approach in open water. I don't want to cramp up or anything like that, so I have to stroke a lot more deliberately. My form was terrible, I kept catching myself with bending my legs and not rotating. But see, when I am in that kind of water, I am not thinking about my form like when I am in a pool. I am thinking about what if those tadpoles got in my suit in places I wouldn't want them? Or, what if there's a big fish just waiting to attack my toes, or a snapping turtle? Those things are dog @ss ugly, or what if there are snakes, which then made me think of eels, and then I thought of unagi, which is a fresh water eel sushi that I really like. So see, there is a peek into the inner machinations of my mind as I swim in something teeming with life. There is no concentration on my form, which isn't second nature for me yet, so it suffers and I tend to waste a lot more energy then I should.

Before you know it I had reached them, we turned around and off we went back to the beach where we started. I got out, I was getting a little cold actually and toweled off while Craig went hunting for a turtle he had seen. I had to laugh, I went back to playing with the froglets, if you left your feet still enough, they would come and peck at them sort of, it was kind of neat really. But then I got thinking what if one of them made their way into my suit and were pecking in places they shouldn't?? Ugh, mental brush, mental brush, scrub, scrub, scrub.

As Brad and Craig were chattering away, I watched a hawk flying back and forth overhead majestically and hoping there weren't tadpoles in my suit. It was a nice swim in a lake, a grueling run around a pool kind of day and a day hoping I left all the tadpoles I had seen in the lake I had been in....

I was Tri-ing to do the Du

This was my first triathlon of the season. But, thanks to Mother nature, plans were altered. Let me say that this whole week we have been watching the James River and it's height. It was well above any level that we could swim in it legally. Lo and behold, it dropped and dropped, and the first ever Rocketts Landing Olympic Distance Triathlon was on! Yay, I think, and in hindsight, boy do I wish it was....

The end of this whole week it was supposed to rain and storm. We got some sprinkles here and there but nothing appreciable that would add to the previously swollen James. Then it happened, duh duh duh (that's my dramatic music)! We got the mother of all storms last night and the James rose over a foot. We were borderline okay for the swim, all I could think was this is going to be a Duathlon. But we packed up our gear, and our wetsuits, and off we went at 5:30AM to get to the race and our transition set up. Darn if it doesn't start raining on our way. Heck, we're going to get wet anyway, so whatever right??

Okay we get to our rack, set up our bikes, lay out our gear in the order we need to access it so our transitions go more quickly and stand on line for the port-a-potties. Not to get graphic, but if you've never used a port-a-potty at a triathlon, you really haven't experienced gross yet. I cannot imagine why everyone has to take a do, nerves maybe? But they are absolutely obscene. I just had to take a whiz and didn't relish relieving myself in my wetsuit while I was swimming. Yep, today was wetsuit legal. The James was a refreshingly brisk 67 degrees this morning. So there I am on line to use the loo, getting ready to swim in a freakishly cold river, and I spy the current. There were ducks trying to swim up river, and I literally saw them get whisked away. Holy currents Batman, the water is flowing better then cheap beer at a college bar. I have butterflies now, that are in danger of turning into red tailed hawks...

I go back to transition, which is closing in 5 minutes, and grab my wetsuit. Brad and I suit up, always a fun past time, it's like putting on spandex pantyhose that are ten sizes too small all over your body. Get the suits on and these big, black clouds start rolling in over the already dreary gray ones.

Everyone starts making the exodus to the river site where we are all supposed to start from. The rain started falling harder, the wind started to pick up. Brad jumped into the James to get a little warm up in before the start and he is stroking beautifully, he looks great, like he's swimming in an endless pool. He gets out, looks at me and shakes his head. To that, one of our friends says, "Oh Sh*t that's not good". Laurie, the race director, starts giving out instructions. The race start is moving down to where we are supposed to get out, and the course has been shortened quite a bit. That's good, we all walk to where we are now going to get in and the clouds open up, it is torrential. Brad puts his goggles on, I have to giggle, and the wind starts gusting. I would say it was around 30 miles per hour, no kidding. Time for the race to start. Blue caps hop in the water, to be followed by the yellow caps, which Brad is, then the pink caps, which I am one of. The horn shrieks and off they go. It was like watching an old time keystone cops movie. Everyone was trying to head up, then across, then back, but there was absolutely no rhyme or reason to what we were seeing. People were everywhere. Some were getting swept down river so quickly, others were bravely trying to make it to the buoy which kept moving, some were bobbing up and down, some were flailing. Only the very strongest of swimmers were making it anywhere. The kayakers were paddling like crazy to stay in one place. No matter how much the paddled, the got no where. The police boat had it's motor cut off, and it was being hauled down river. Then the first of our intrepid blue caps starting patting the top of their head, that means, I am in distress. Then another, then another. The kayakers couldn't get to the people fast enough, after about ten minutes of watching the melee, Laurie called off the swim. The first annual Rockett's Landing Triathlon was now officially the first ever Rockett's Landing Duathlon. Whoopee, we were getting to run 2 miles, it was actually 2.4, bike for 24, then run another 6.2. We go back to transition, we are freezing, get back to our spots, my bike helmet is not on the handle bars, I see one of the lenses of my glasses on the ground, my bike gloves are no where to be seen. The wind was so strong it blew my helmet and it's transition contents to I don't know where. So I start picking through transition and find all of my belongings, put my glasses back together and get ready to do a Du.

We were going off in two waves. Boys first, then girls. Wouldn't you know it, I had to use the port-a-potty again. As I am sitting there, I hear, ladies line up! Ack, pee faster, get out of there. I do, surprised I don't have toilet paper trailing behind me, get on the back of the line, and off we go. I don't know how fast I was running, but all I could think is this sucks! I have to cycle after this?? Just as I was griping to myself, the clouds start dropping buckets of water and the wind is howling and it stayed that way for the duration of the run. I finish the 2 miles, cross the timing mat, kick out of my sneakers, put on my cycling shoes, put on my helmet and glasses and start running my bike out of transition. The wind is so strong, the rain pelting me and I think I must be out of my freakin mind.

The ride was uneventful save the wind, rain and a nasty bike wreck I saw in enough time that I avoided being caught in it. I made it back, I don't know my time and truly by the time I was done, I don't think I cared. I did ask a volunteer if I was running because my legs were so numb I couldn't feel them. Kick out of the bike shoes and take a huge swig out of my water bottle. I was afraid to remove my hands from the handle bars to grab my water bottle because of the weather and how slick the roads were. I didn't hydrate properly and that would interfere with my run. I knew it would, but truly, I was so afraid after seeing the bike accident. I decided to pay the price later while I was on my two feet as opposed to while I was riding going 17, 18, 19 miles per hour.

So back to my sneakers, grab my visor to keep the rain from pouring in my face and off I go. I did okay, mile 1, no problem. I see Brad finishing up and cheer my Bud on. Mile 2, no problem, mile 3, still good. There were lots of stairs, hills, it was a tricky and challenging course. I was still running, I was happy, my endurance was there. Was I running like Brad, heck no. But I was running and doing the whole thing, then I hit mile 5, yikes! Cramps in my right hamstring. Damn it, I am so close, I have around a mile to go. So I start fast walking and trying to stretch. I meet a very nice man who looks as though he is going to barf and he walks with me. The last half mile is a fairly ugly uphill. Ed, the nice man I met tells me not to wait on him, so I start to run, it hurts, I don't care. I can hear the end, I want it to end and it does come to end. Although a very nice lady whose bike was was racked with mine blows past me like I am standing still in the last 50 feet or so, and it was a beautiful pass on her part, I finish. It ended just like everything else that happened that day, with the triathlon gods laughing, screwing things up, making nothing but chaos out of something that should be orderly and spitting in my face, or maybe that was just the rain...

So many races, so little time...

Okay, I haven't blogged in FOREVER!!! Shame on me, truth be told, I have completely forgotten! I have raced in a couple of events, I believe I wrote about the Sweetheart 8k and the 3 Miler. Since then I did the Ukrops 10K. Bad experience with the food we ate the night before or I had a mild stomach bug. I actually had to hit the loo on the race course, but I was still kind of happy with my 55 minute finish. If I didn't have to stop, I can guarantee it would have been 54 minutes, just wait until next year, I plan on a 52 minute finish. I know I can do it, so I look forward to the opportunity.

Next race was the Muddy Buddy. My husband and I, team Married With Children, came in a very respectable 4th. We actually were on the podium, and got a medal, very cool experience for me. I have only placed one other time when I came in second. I held us back though, my running was slower then I was happy with, so next year we can only do better right??? It was fun too because we had a bunch of friends racing with us. I think I race because I like the company we keep from it.

Today I did the Cap to Cap 1/2 Century. You could choose 25, 50 or 100 mile distances. My husband did the full Century. He was a beast. He finished that ride in 6 hours. Mine, the Half Century, I finished in around 3. It was pretty cool...Let me rewind and say I have only ridden on the road once or twice in the last long while. I have been on the trainer though several times a week, and it obviously has been a decent enough substitute.

I had the pleasure of riding with a friend for the first 12 miles, she has a nagging leg injury so she sort of slowed some for the rest of the ride because it was bothering her. I paced myself around 18 miles an hour while I was riding alone. I did try and pace line with other people. I realized as I rode that my real talent is on the hills. I passed more people powering up hills, and there were some doozies today, then I did on the flats. I stayed in my big ring the whole ride too, that pleased me no end. Before I was a middle ring girl using my Granny ring to get up hills, not so anymore. My legs were pumping like mad, but I was getting mad results in return, not just getting tired!

The ride had 3 rest/food/hydration stops. They we divine, the water was icy cold, the Powerade too, and there was a great assortment of energy enhancing snacks. I took advantage of each stop because I was a little nervous never having ridden that far. I wanted to make sure I had some gas left in the tank to finish the race so to speak. I definitely was not disappointed. Good strategy on my part, I finished my race today pacing behind two gentlemen sporting Capital Ale House cycling jerseys. I kept blowing past them on the hills and they'd pass me on the flat. Then I would stay on the last person's rear tire and pace with them. There was a pretty wicked head wind we were riding in to at the end. I joked with my husband saying I felt like Marcel Marceau riding up hill in the wind. I was moving, but I wasn't getting anywhere. But I did eventually get somewhere, and that was the end of my 50 miles, it wound up being 52 or so by the time I was done. I had visions of beer jerseys dancing in my head, and when all was said and done, I had visions of doing the ride again next year as I sat with a beer in my hand.