Whew, that was a long one. But I needed a long title because only that could do my swim justice. I have been training, really I have, but you wouldn't know it by my performance this weekend. I wanted to be witty and off handed about how it took me 26 minutes in that endless pool called the James River that I had to swim in on Sunday. It was positively demoralizing when I got my results after this brutal excuse for a triathlon. I deluded myself into thinking I did okay after all was said and done. I did run better then my last triathlon, which isn't saying much. I just cannot get into the spirit of my blog and once again poke fun at myself after knowing I tried my absolute hardest and wound up placing where I did. I dunno, it is definitely food for thought. Do I carry on with training and trying or do I shelf everything and just turn away from doing tris for awhile. Just run for the health of it? Bike because I have made friends with a really nice group of people on my Wednesday night ride?
I don't know, I will keep you posted....
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
My hairy belly after a hairy swim....
No, I don't really have hair on my belly, but I did yesterday after swimming in the James. The Tri Club has had to cancel every open water swim this year so far due to the weather or how the weather effected the James River. Technically speaking, last night should never have happened. The river was 2 feet higher then what it should be for safe swimming, and the current was really something. When we got to the swim site, all I could think is the water is the color of mud. It was silty and mucky. My skin started to crawl imagining having to get in. Then, as we are standing there a log goes floating by. Yes, a log. My husband joked and said it was an alligator, which I guess was his attempt at humor and trying to distract me. He saw the pure, abject terror in my eyes when I saw what the river looked like. Anyway, the nice man leading the swim runs down the rules etc. and tells us to start getting in, which the water was supposed to be 79, I beg to differ. As all of us start making our way down the ramp, into the mushy, soft, squishy, get between your toes silt that winds up going up to your knees before you can push off and start floating and stroking, we are all remarking that we should have had our wetsuits on. It was chilly, but I eventually got used to it. We can't start until everyone is in, and I notice we are all floating down current from the start. We start yelling at every one to hurry up and get in before we float away. They tell us to start and away we go. Grinding away into the current. Dory is singing in my head, Just keep swimming, just keep swimming....I am thinking to my big, bad self, this isn't bad. Look at me go, I am swimming just fine with this current. What were they talking about 22 minutes up into it and just 8 back? This is easy! As I am puffing up with pride like a blow fish, something suddenly sinks itself into my right thigh. I literally jumped up, still in swimming position, mid stroke screaming like a maniac, what got me?? What got me??? It was just my friend Jill, grabbing at my thigh to tell me after 10 minutes of swimming, we got nowhere. I looked at her like she was mentally deficient. I go, "what are you talking about Jill, I have been swimming for 10 minutes now", and then I look over my left shoulder. I am literally maybe 50-75 feet down from where we started. Listen, can you hear that??? That is the sound of my ego, deflating like a rubber raft with a puncture in it.....Okay, what is it they say to do, shorter, choppier strokes, less glide? I must have looked like an old school egg beater, I couldn't have looked like I was doing anything productive....Just keep swimming, just keep swimming....Which I am doing, wham! A floating branch hits me in the head. Not hard, but enough to startle the hell out of me. Okay, face back in, keep going, I get hit by an assortment of things, ginger ale bottles, coke bottles, and then I swim straight into someone. My sighting was pretty poor, I was grinding away, thankfully it was someone I knew. Finally the kayaker next to me said, time to turn around. I did, angled myself 45 degrees into the shore and it took me all of 4 minutes to get back. 4 freakin minutes to the 22 that it took me to go what, 250 meters if I was lucky?? Talk about making you feel like you have no clue what you are doing. I have been working on my swimming for 3 years now, and I felt like I had no freaking clue by the time I got out.
Anyway, when I got home, I felt like I needed a bath big time. I had the creepy crawlies. Now I know why. When I pulled my suit down, I was covered in a mat of brown "stuff". Sort of reminded me of this movie I saw when I was really little and people would get this brown fur and turn into werewolves afterwards, but there I was, looking like the next werewolf from the movie or at the very least I was from the East German's women's swim team. It was really awful. I had it on spots on my back, and truth be told, I couldn't stand the thought of looking any lower then my stomach. I did scrub myself wildly everywhere when I hit the shower, which I had on as hot as I could stand. The stuff coming off me on the shower floor was truly horrific.
I got out of the shower looking like I had crawled out of the lobster pot, but at least the hair was gone. If I had just used the mental brush in the shower to get rid of the memory of how I grew the fur in the first place....
Anyway, when I got home, I felt like I needed a bath big time. I had the creepy crawlies. Now I know why. When I pulled my suit down, I was covered in a mat of brown "stuff". Sort of reminded me of this movie I saw when I was really little and people would get this brown fur and turn into werewolves afterwards, but there I was, looking like the next werewolf from the movie or at the very least I was from the East German's women's swim team. It was really awful. I had it on spots on my back, and truth be told, I couldn't stand the thought of looking any lower then my stomach. I did scrub myself wildly everywhere when I hit the shower, which I had on as hot as I could stand. The stuff coming off me on the shower floor was truly horrific.
I got out of the shower looking like I had crawled out of the lobster pot, but at least the hair was gone. If I had just used the mental brush in the shower to get rid of the memory of how I grew the fur in the first place....
Monday, June 15, 2009
A Disappointing Power Sprint and Surviving the MS 150
Once again, a long time since the blog has been updated. Race season is in full swing and loads of stuff has been happening. After surviving the Rocketts Landing Duathlon, which I was still scarred from, I had the Power Sprint to look forward to. I had been training for it, but for whatever reason on race day things just didn't fall together the way they should have. I had a great swim, but I was held up twice by lap traffic, which once upon a time never bothered me, but this time it did. I know I can swim 300 meters in 6 minutes or better, but I got held up some and finished in 6:30. I have to say the bike leg was the best thing I did. I increased my speed considerably from last year and finished strong. My run was the thing that did me in. It actually took me 30 minutes to run the 5k *gasp*. Now I know I am no Kenyan when it comes to running, but it's a pretty poor state of affairs when turtles blow past you laughing their shells off. I don't know why I was so frickin slow, but there I was, like a car with three flats (which makes me think of that joke about when Pirelli tires go flat, daygo wop wop wop wop...well I went wop wop wop too must be the eye-talian in me). Finally, not too far from the end a guy I used to run with, Fred, started yelling at me I was running like a girl, which used to be a good thing once upon a time, but not so this day. I was running like a girl who forgot how to use her legs. That yell was good to hear though,it was like someone shocked me like that dog in Something About Mary, and I picked up my pace to where it should have been the last 2.5 miles before. I flew through the last part of my run, and finished my race in 1 hour 21 minutes. So disappointing for me, but I finished I guess. Not at all what I had hoped for but it was what it was. Oh to go back to that race, to just motivate myself more. Once again, it would have been enough to finish upright last year, but not so much this year. We did start Marathon Training team the day before too. It probably wasn't the best idea for me to run those 6 miles the day before. I can make a million excuses, the fact remains I was disappointed with my performance. I came in tied for 15th in my age group, out of 44, so I suppose it would have been good last year, but not this year, there's that mantra once again.
I did make mention of the Marathon Training team. I love it so far. My first run was okay, I hadn't been running 10k a lot, so it was good to have to. I am a Navy Team member, Brad started on Navy with me but quickly discovered his fruity side when he realized he was more Cranberry then Navy. He belongs with those rabbity types. I can't say I am with turtles or snails, but I am definitely not hopping along at a Cranberry pace. Anyway, I did get lost this last run. I couldn't figure out where the heck I was supposed to go and well I wound up doing almost 7 miles for a 6 mile run. Did I mention how amazing it is for me to be able to mention these distances like they're no big deal. I often sit back and think, is this really me? Who is this person who can talk about running 6 miles, or 8 like there's really no big thing involved?
I did miss my second Training team training session. I was busy riding the MS 150 with my team. Actually, I was busy chasing down my husband and team mates, they were way faster. I had never ridden farther then 50 miles. To do 150 miles in two days was daunting to say the least. I, and my bottom half, faced this with much trepidation....I didn't relish the thought of having sore girl parts, or heinie. I have to say my cyling shorts, Glide and Chamois Butt'r combination did alright for me. The free Cream Ale at the Williamsburg welcome did alright by me too! I did a majority of my ride by myself, I did hook up at the end of day 1 with this nice guy named George that reminded me of my Uncle John. He took pity on me grinding away by myself. But anyway, I survived the first 75, which was actually a bit longer then that, had a lovely evening dining with our Tri Club friends and I was out by 8:30PM. The next morning my stomach was in knots. I knew how tired I was from the day before and I thought how the heck am I going to do this back? I managed to find a fabulous little group to ride with, and the four of us had one heck of a good time throwing movie quotes out as we suffered along. I thanked God for my Granny ring on two hills, didn't have to walk my bike up any hills, and gained the respect of my riding friends because of how well I powered up the hills. I got to help some one suffering from the heat, draft off our local weatherman, and thank God for every pedal stroke that I could do what I was doing. I finished the second day in 6 hours. I spent 12 hours in the saddle over two days, made some really nifty friends as I rode, laughed a lot the second day, saw some beautiful country and wound up saying I rode 150+ miles in two days time. Not once was I dissatisfied, not once did "but not this year pop in my mind". Don't know if I will ever get faster then 6 hours each way and I don't think I care, not this year anyway.....
I did make mention of the Marathon Training team. I love it so far. My first run was okay, I hadn't been running 10k a lot, so it was good to have to. I am a Navy Team member, Brad started on Navy with me but quickly discovered his fruity side when he realized he was more Cranberry then Navy. He belongs with those rabbity types. I can't say I am with turtles or snails, but I am definitely not hopping along at a Cranberry pace. Anyway, I did get lost this last run. I couldn't figure out where the heck I was supposed to go and well I wound up doing almost 7 miles for a 6 mile run. Did I mention how amazing it is for me to be able to mention these distances like they're no big deal. I often sit back and think, is this really me? Who is this person who can talk about running 6 miles, or 8 like there's really no big thing involved?
I did miss my second Training team training session. I was busy riding the MS 150 with my team. Actually, I was busy chasing down my husband and team mates, they were way faster. I had never ridden farther then 50 miles. To do 150 miles in two days was daunting to say the least. I, and my bottom half, faced this with much trepidation....I didn't relish the thought of having sore girl parts, or heinie. I have to say my cyling shorts, Glide and Chamois Butt'r combination did alright for me. The free Cream Ale at the Williamsburg welcome did alright by me too! I did a majority of my ride by myself, I did hook up at the end of day 1 with this nice guy named George that reminded me of my Uncle John. He took pity on me grinding away by myself. But anyway, I survived the first 75, which was actually a bit longer then that, had a lovely evening dining with our Tri Club friends and I was out by 8:30PM. The next morning my stomach was in knots. I knew how tired I was from the day before and I thought how the heck am I going to do this back? I managed to find a fabulous little group to ride with, and the four of us had one heck of a good time throwing movie quotes out as we suffered along. I thanked God for my Granny ring on two hills, didn't have to walk my bike up any hills, and gained the respect of my riding friends because of how well I powered up the hills. I got to help some one suffering from the heat, draft off our local weatherman, and thank God for every pedal stroke that I could do what I was doing. I finished the second day in 6 hours. I spent 12 hours in the saddle over two days, made some really nifty friends as I rode, laughed a lot the second day, saw some beautiful country and wound up saying I rode 150+ miles in two days time. Not once was I dissatisfied, not once did "but not this year pop in my mind". Don't know if I will ever get faster then 6 hours each way and I don't think I care, not this year anyway.....
Saturday, May 23, 2009
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....
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....
Sunday, May 17, 2009
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...
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...
Saturday, May 9, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Spreak Break or Smith Mountain Lake?
Life is full of decisions. Some easy some not. My husband came home from a ride with his crew of crazy fellow bike enthusiasts, and put forth the question, "Since we're not doing California anymore, do you want to do Smith Mountain with our friends instead?" I, as always warily asked, "When is it?". It winds up being the weekend we were leaving for Spring Break.
Since our whole California adventure was nixed, we have decided to go to Florida and hit Universal Studios up instead. It should be fun, and we had planned on leaving the Friday the girls got out of school. Turns out the race is on Saturday. So we would have to leave on Sunday. Seeing the indecision in my eyes, he threw in the laundry list of who would be there. Of course I LOVE the people mentioned. They are more fun then a barrel full of monkeys, not the Midlothian kind mind you, to hang out with. We all banter and have fun, it is a genuinely good time. Still, it's Spring Break, the kids are sort of smarting from not being able to go to California and doing everything we planned there, although Florida was an acceptable substitute for them, and I wanted to be home for Easter. Plus we have tickets to the Frozen Four the Saturday before Easter. What to do, what to do? Brad still, sensing my indecision tosses one more bone out for me, Deb is letting us take the Magic Bus and Jim is making a trailer for it for our bikes...The Magic Bus was the best part of the Bear Creek 10 miler we ran how many freezing weekends ago? A bunch of adults crammed into a day care bus with food and drink galore. It was more fun then I remember being allowed to have on a bus. And the driver was a nice lady to boot!
So there's the rub, what to do, what to do? I thought about it a bunch yesterday. Brad tried to ply me with it's only a 300 meter swim, it's only a 12 mile ride, it's only a 5k run. You could do that with your eyes closed. Yeah, my eyes closed as I am being carried away on a gurney by some nice paramedics who found me passed out on the side of the road. Could I do it, absolutely, do I want to? Well duh, what's the name of my blog? It's not Dee-the-triathlete-that-does-every-triathlon-willingly-triathlete or Dee-the-rush-into-every-tri-with-a-happy-heart-triathlete. it's Dee-thereluctanttriathlete. I have a name and image to live up to or I would have to change my blog name. Then where would I be? Doing more triathlons then I should, with a happy heart, and having nothing to write about so the frustrated writer in me would be extremely unhappy...Then what would I name my blog???
Ack! That would lead me to another decision I just don't want to have to make. My life is full of too many decisions, now what was I trying to decide on again??
Since our whole California adventure was nixed, we have decided to go to Florida and hit Universal Studios up instead. It should be fun, and we had planned on leaving the Friday the girls got out of school. Turns out the race is on Saturday. So we would have to leave on Sunday. Seeing the indecision in my eyes, he threw in the laundry list of who would be there. Of course I LOVE the people mentioned. They are more fun then a barrel full of monkeys, not the Midlothian kind mind you, to hang out with. We all banter and have fun, it is a genuinely good time. Still, it's Spring Break, the kids are sort of smarting from not being able to go to California and doing everything we planned there, although Florida was an acceptable substitute for them, and I wanted to be home for Easter. Plus we have tickets to the Frozen Four the Saturday before Easter. What to do, what to do? Brad still, sensing my indecision tosses one more bone out for me, Deb is letting us take the Magic Bus and Jim is making a trailer for it for our bikes...The Magic Bus was the best part of the Bear Creek 10 miler we ran how many freezing weekends ago? A bunch of adults crammed into a day care bus with food and drink galore. It was more fun then I remember being allowed to have on a bus. And the driver was a nice lady to boot!
So there's the rub, what to do, what to do? I thought about it a bunch yesterday. Brad tried to ply me with it's only a 300 meter swim, it's only a 12 mile ride, it's only a 5k run. You could do that with your eyes closed. Yeah, my eyes closed as I am being carried away on a gurney by some nice paramedics who found me passed out on the side of the road. Could I do it, absolutely, do I want to? Well duh, what's the name of my blog? It's not Dee-the-triathlete-that-does-every-triathlon-willingly-triathlete or Dee-the-rush-into-every-tri-with-a-happy-heart-triathlete. it's Dee-thereluctanttriathlete. I have a name and image to live up to or I would have to change my blog name. Then where would I be? Doing more triathlons then I should, with a happy heart, and having nothing to write about so the frustrated writer in me would be extremely unhappy...Then what would I name my blog???
Ack! That would lead me to another decision I just don't want to have to make. My life is full of too many decisions, now what was I trying to decide on again??
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