Lanier Under the Lights

I ran the Lanier under the Lights 5k this evening.  I’ve spend a lot of time at Lake Lanier this events. Zooma, IG, MNT and now this one. I feel like I’m forgetting something. At Zooma, I cursed the course. IG, I was so happy to be out of the lake, that I laughed and cheered throughout the bike and run courses. MNT, I don’t remember much. It was so close to IG that I don’t think it mattered much. Finally LUTL. My goal for this run was simple. Run the entire 5k. Funny, how I’d forgotten the course would be hilly. Over the last month, I’ve been working on different types of workouts. I’d even practiced calming myself during hill runs, reminding myself to slow down instead of walking. All of the practice came into play this evening. I started fast, probably too fast, but quickly reminded myself to slow down and run my race. As I watched your children zip by, I didn’t’ allow myself to get caught up in their excitement. I reminded myself, stay present in this moment. Don’t worry about the next hill, half mile, or mile. Stay focused with the current and next steps… that’s it, that’s all. Reminding myself to do that worked. Before, I knew it, the 1 mile sign passed.

I’ve been on the course often enough to know that we were heading toward the back for mile 2.  This meant  a series of hills, up and down, up and down, so had to pace myself.  I didn’t want to go too fast on the downhill [although I was tempted].   I don’t remember if it was Kermit or JoJo who reminded me to use the time to recover and prepare for the next uphill.  I did that and remembered to breathe deeply and relax my belly [don’t hold it in].

Although I felt good, the two hills in mile three were too much. I so didn’t want to stop and made it through the first hill. I was going slow, plugging along during the second hill but needed to walk 20 steps to regroup. Although the goal was non-stop run, I don’t feel bad. Those 20 steps allowed me a bit of rest and a chance to regroup.  I completed the hill, then rounded the corner to the finish. Good thing it was downhill, thanks to the uphill start   It felt good to stretch out and stride across the finish line. Although initially hesitant to run a 5k, I now realize why people complete them.  It was a nice feel good opportunity to gauge my progress. 

I’ll probably look for an upcoming jingle jog and register for it.  One of the best parts of the evening was hanging out with Debbie, Jan, Scott, and new friend Rachel afterward.

Keep moving forward. 

New Run Experiences!

This past week, I discovered that I can lose 10 lbs if I run 28.2 miles in a week. :-)  That might be a bit extreme but it's nice to know. It wasn't intentional but I scheduled back to back half marathons. I'd taken the time to train and been watching my food choices. What a nice reward! 

I’ve had a couple encouraging runs this week. Tuesday, I ran 2.7 miles nonstop with JoJo.  This is my farthest nonstop distance. Whoop whoop!  I felt good after and could have made it to 3.  It was 55 degrees and blustery, providing a reminder to pack more clothes and layer.  Since I didn’t layer, I had to wear my black jacket which meant low visibility (not good).  Luckily I’m running with a group so we are quite visible. 

Wednesday, I ran with JoJo and Kermit.  Wow! How cool was that? Definitely not what I expected but it felt good. I appreciate their willingness to work with me. They are educating me on a variety of things and race approaches.  I'm finally starting to understand the purpose of tempo runs and track practices. We ran 3 miles non-stop in addition to warm up and cool down.  I felt awesome and encouraged as I drove home. 

Tomorrow, I’m scheduled to run an easy 3-4 miles before swim practice. Now, that I’ve embraced running slower to get the distance, I’m looking forward to it.

As always, when the time is right, God presents who/what I need.  Although, I've been running since 2009, I never felt that running an extended without walking was possible for me. I now realize, I can and will do this. Today, it's 3 miles, hopefully in a few weeks, it will be 6.  A 10k nonstop--thats my goal.  I’m pumped up thinking about the possibility.

On the drive home, I thought of how wonderful it is to know people who are willing to help others. I’m always willing to help others and it’s nice to be on the receiving end.  With every passing day, I’m feeling more confident and comfortable about the marathon.  I’m going to do it and feel good about it. I am proof that age doesn’t matter.

Remember to keep moving forward...

LA Here I Come

I can’t believe it!  I’m actually registered for the Marathon. I’m so excited and nervous. I’m ready to take the next steps toward a stronger body and mind.  26.2 miles throughout my home town.

I’d been considering a 2013 full marathon for a few months. It’s the natural progression in my run journey.  Also, if I’m going to get to an Ironman [there I said it] I’ll need to run at least one full marathon.  Once I decided to commit and work hard, I learned that the LA marathon was in March.  This means great weather, motivation to run through Winter, and an opportunity to train with friends who are running the Shamrock.  Hopefully, the Atlanta hills and cool weather will give me some sort of advantage.

It can’t get much better than a marathon in my home town running through areas in which I’d had a number of pleasant experiences.  Doing the run at this point in my life,  I will view the city in a completely different way, I know it. I’ve not been to Dodger Stadium in what 10 -15 years?  After completing the registration, I’ve found myself humming ‘I Love LA, We love it!!’ by Randy Newman a few times.  Sunset Blvd, Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood, and ending in Santa Monica at the beach. Can’t ask for better than that. Well, I could but will save that request for a later date.  

I’ve got a great group of experienced marathoner friends to train with and get advice from. As long as I train, this story should have a happy ending. 

I’m running the Silver Comet HM tomorrow. It’s flat and one of my favorites. It’s the reward for completing Athens. I’m going to use it as the official kickoff to marathon training.  I’m committed to sharing the experience on this blog.  Even if I have to spend my lunch hour typing entries (like today). My posts may help someone with something.  Who knows!

As always, keep moving forward…

Watching the Ironman World Championship

I'm watching the IM world championship and it is so inspiring. This is my first time watching the race and I have such an appreciation for it.  It's nice to understand the challenge of the swim, transitions, bike, grabbing items from the aid station, and run.  Oh, the strategies used are beautiful. The suspense is incredible.  It's so cool to see two tall women, Caroline Steffins and Leanda Cave in the lead.  I hope they will hold off the challengers and win.  Their strides are beautiful.

The inspired participants stories have been nice.  I'm really getting motivated about the upcoming 2013 marathon. 

Watching the entire  event has proven to me, it's not over until the first person crosses the finish line. The favorites Macca and Crowie aren't present. I'd read Macca's and Chrissie Wellingtons books last month. Based on the mental approach, I thought Macca would kick butt but he dropped out of the race. Chrissie took the year off.   You never know what might happen and can NEVER give up.

Amazing IM information:

The male athletes burned 4500+ calories during the ride. What in the heck do they eat / drink to replenish them?

The announcers commented a few times that a 3 hour marathon (after swimming 2 miles and biking 100+) is not fast!  Really?  I'll take it.

Keep moving forward...

People are wonderful gifts

Over the last few days, I’ve had opportunities to interact with ‘children’ of various ages including my own. I found myself marveling at how nice those interactions were.  Today, during a shower for a coworker, I had a chance to stand back and watch the pure joy children have. The laughter at being held upside down or playing peek a boo was nice to see.  They range in age from 2 – 8 and were in the moment, carefree and happy to be. 

On another occasion, while viewing photos, I was able to see the love and joy in the eyes of a big brother holding his few weeks old baby sister.  I thought what a blessing that is.  As I viewed photos of the nursery I thought how wonderful, this child is truly, truly loved. I could tell by the way she was held.  What a wonderful gift.

The last and best for me involved interaction with my own 20 year old daughter. She is finding her way in this world and I’m learning my role as a mother/friend.  For some reason, she has been trying to get to New York for a couple years. Well she is going in a few weeks and totally excited.  The mother in me remembered knowing another younger person who is a little older than my daughter. Someone who might serve as a big sister of sorts. I reached out to her and she gladly offered any assistance she could.  How nice of her to do that, I thought and appreciated. That made me feel a lot better about the trip.

Back to my interaction with my daughter, I’m running a race the Athens half in a couple weeks.  She lives in Athens so after deciding to have lunch or early dinner after packet pickup, I asked about the course.  She described a couple hills in the course to me including how comparable they were to those in our neighborhood.  I thought how cool is that to have my daughter provide a course scouting report.  It might seem like a small thing but I thought it nice.

Another step in our journey I guess.  Saying all that to say, people can be wonderful gifts to us. There are some not so nice folks out there but I choose to appreciate the gifts.

Keep moving forward.

Where have I been?

It’s been a while since my last post. Almost 2 months to be exact. During this time, I’ve been getting over a disappointing run at the Alien HM and becoming more consistent with my USAFit runs.  I’ve also been preparing mentally and physically for the Athens and Silver Comet half marathons.  Athens is typically a bit hilly while Silver Comet is flat. I couldn’t ask for two better runs.  They are less than one week apart. I look at Silver Comet as a reward for Athens.  My goal is to improve my time on both races. I know for Athens that involves hill work, becoming more confident and stronger. To do this, I’ve added Pilates and track work to my training. In order to accommodate this change, I’ve backed off, a lot, swimming. I’m also taking a look at nutrition including how, what and why I eat the way I do.  I’ve been researching how Paleo, Vegetarian and Vegan diets affect endurance athletes.  Like so many things there isn’t a right or wrong answer. I’ll have to gather the information and determine which best suits me. Right now, I’m leaning toward vegetarian.  I’m not planning to go cold turkey but over the coming months will reduce meat, dairy and increased plant based meals.  I don’t think the impact of these changes will be visible at my October races but am hoping any results from this shift in eating will be evident starting with the races I run in November.

I’ve decided to add a full marathon to my list of 2013 goals.  I hope the changes being made now will bear fruit at that race. 

I survived the Area 13.1 Half Marathon

Last week I completed the Area 13.1 HM.  It was the inaugural year for the race. I delayed writing this because I didn’t want to come off too angry and frustrated.  To start the event didn’t begin until 6:30pm. It was my first night half marathon and I was both excited and nervous about it.  I ran an easy 3.5 miles that morning with USAFit. For the remainder of the day, I tried to stay off my feet and make good food choices so I’d have a good race. I decided to leave early in order to pick up my race packet and find a decent parking spot. I wasn’t familiar with the area and went alone so I really wanted to park close.  Ha ha ha

I got turned around trying to find the location and didn’t arrive until 30 minutes before the cutoff.  Only to find the parking lots were full. Had I been thinking, I’d have parked on the grass next to the parking lot, but the thought didn’t occur to me. I was directed up the street and around the corner to the nearest church to park. Finally, I found a parking spot, walked back to packet pickup and got my number with maybe a half hour to spare.

I met up with a few friends, gave hugs and had a bit of conversation. So far, so good. The runners lined up and the race started a little after 6:30. I didn’t wear a fuel belt due to the water stops every 2-3 miles  so I would be good. Or at least I should have been.  The problem was that the water stations weren’t setup. The course was decent and I was off to a good start.  It was pretty warm/humid out also. I poured water across my shoulders to cool off.  Unfortunately, by the time I reached mile 6 or 7,  there was no more water.    I thought, I would be ok as long as I paced myself.  There will be water at mile 9 or 10.  Jokes on you. There is no water, but I would experience a light rain and a lot of darkness between mile 7 and 10.  God's looking out for the slower runners.  I thought wow! There really isn’t any water. There is loud music at mile 10, some light, (we’d been running in the dark the previous mile), but no water. Mile 10 was the turnaround. Between miles 10-12 it was pretty dark. By this time, I was less concerned with water and more concerned with falling or stepping in a hole.  I met up with Dee and we finished the race together. By then I’d decided, no more evening half marathons and this would most likely be the first and last Area 13.1 HM for me.

I crossed the finish line at 3:05. This is not the time I had in mind when I started.  I was pretty pissed off. At myself for not training enough, for not bringing water, for not being more prepared. I didn’t want to speak with anyone either. All I wanted was a bagel, banana, orange and some water.  Only thing is they only had water and granny smith apples.  Are you kidding me? Tart ass, granny smith apples. I tried to suffer through eating one but couldn’t. After three bites my stomach started to hurt. I tossed the apple. Figured I’d eat something after the hour ride home. I picked up my goody bag, hung out with friends a little while, then decided to walk back to my car.  It had been a long day and I was ready for this part of it to be over.

One week later, I overheard a few conversations about this race and participated in a few and most had the same experience as me.  Listening to those conversations made me feel better.  Although I still have no plans to participate in another Zulu race. 

 

It’s been a while…

Since my last post- June 29^th to be exact.  I’ve got to do better but maybe I needed a mental timeout.  Time has flown by which must mean I’m having fun.   

Let me recap. June was such a good month that I decided to take July off from events and my version of heavy training.  I decided not to register for any July tris or Acworth.  This allowed me to enjoy my vacation in California.  It was a combination of business and personal fun.  My daughter and I took a road trip to Northern California which is something we hadn’t done in a while.  While there we had a mud bath and wonderful Mexican food.  Sheesh, I miss California Mexican food.  As much as I love Georgia, I’ve only found on good restaurant.  It was wonderful visiting with family and friends, some of whom I’d not seen in as many as 15 years!  I know, unbelievable.  It made me thankful for true friendships.  The type where I can email someone, say I’ll be in town on a certain date and we get together for lunch, a day at the Grove, dinner, or an evening at home.  No matter where we hang out to talk, it ALWAYS feels like we just talked yesterday.  I’m quite fortunate to have these friendships.  I know everyone doesn’t have them.   

Watching the Olympics

I’ve had a chance to watch some of the Olympic trials Track & Field and Swimming. It’s amazing how different the athletes and competition appear now that I’m a conscious runner and swimmer. What do I mean by conscious? This season, I’m making an active attempt to improve my form and technique. I’m paying attention to the things being done incorrectly and frequently looking for a way to improve.

Track & Field: I’m noticing the kick. Do you see the kick on some of the runners? My goodness, how do they do that?  Also with the metric mile, running that in less than 4 minutes and not looking winded. I can’t imagine. Just watched the Steeplechase and thought after the third or fourth lap, I probably would have fallen into one of the pools due to exhaustion.

Swim: ok look at those abs. I need to work on core strength. It’s nice to see some of the swimmers that have made the team for first time. Seeing the 16 and 17 year old swimmers is also nice. Amanda Weir just one her heat. She's been around forever. Those unitards are kind of funky but they are growing on me. How in the world do they swim so fast? Is it kick, pull, kick and pull? I found myself trying to count the number of strokes taken during the 50 m.

Watching Aaron Piersol swim the backstroke, I have a lot of work to do. :-)  He wasn't competing. Had a camera strapped to him so we could experience the race as he does. Ryan Lochte has a beautiful backstroke. Looks so efficient. I've gotta learn that dolphin kick.

These athletes make it look so easy but I know better.  I can only imagine how much time they spend training. Their families must be proud.

Keep dreaming and moving forward.

Lead with your chin

Yesterday, I had one on one time with Wendy at the pool.  I wanted to focus on correcting my head rotation when I take a breath.  As a result of lifting my head to breathe and fighting the water these past couple months, the week after Callaway, my neck and muscle behind my left ear were super sore.  My body also ached from the bike, run, heat, you name it--so I went to the chiropractor [Dr. Tran] and massage therapist [Linnette].  Dr. Tran adjusted me using a series of loud cracks.  If I ever had a doubt about the benefits of chiropractic care, this visit cleared it.  During the visit, he advised me to tell my massage therapist to strip the SCM.  This is the muscle that runs behind your ears and along your neck.  Mine was so sore and swollen that I’d been having headaches daily and was in a lot of pain.  Me and Alleve were very good friends.  Within 24 hours of the chiro visit, I had relief.  48 hours after the tag team of Dr. Tran and Linnette, I was close to normal.  My takeaway: learn how to properly rotate your head to take a breath.

I’d informed Wendy of my goal earlier in the day via email.  I arrived at the pool to find her checking Rafael Nadal’s tennis score [not good].  She would watch me from the pool deck.  In between watching tennis she looks up and says “lead with your chin”.  That’s it, 4 words, are you kidding me?  Is that the magic potion? “lead with your chin”.  That’s it, give it a shot and back to tennis she went.

I get in the pool and give it a try. All, I have to say is OMG.  Completely, changed the way I took a breath. It can’t be this simple.  No neck strain or fighting the water. I actually felt like it wasn’t difficult. In the past I’d done sort of a four part breath.  1) lift head, 2) turn head, 3) breath, and 4) drop head back into the water.  So my neck muscles were working overtime.  With LWYC, I could rotate and doh, turn my chin toward my shoulder while I was rotating.  AMAZING!!

I practiced that maybe 30 minutes and felt so good about the potential for success.  I’ve always found the little things make a world of difference.  I’ll continue to practice over the next two weeks. I know this tweak is going to be huge for my confidence.

Last week, I decided to focus on training instead of another triathlon. One of the things outlined in Conquer your fear of water is to not progress too soon.  Master small steps before moving to the next thing;  I realized that I need to master breathing and body position before moving on.  Yesterday was confirmation that this was the right decision.  Whoo hoo

Oh and Wendy taped my stroke.  I’ll try to post it here.   Remember to keep moving forward.

Friday musings

I can’t believe it’s been three weeks since my last entry.  So much has happened between then and now.  I completed the Callaway Gardens Sprint Tri with friends JoJo and Danielle.

I became sick after Callaway. Not sure if it was due to some lake cootie or crud attaching to my body. It could also have been due to my body demanding a well-deserved rest. My last thought is it could have been the loss of adrenaline having known that all the events I’d registered for were complete.  Whatever it was it took 3 days to get over the fever and feel somewhat normal.

Next up on the list of things to decide on is Acworth. Aaahh, Acworth. I wanted to complete the sprint tri to make up for a poor showing last year. However, the more I thought about it, I realized, I’m not ready mentally and don’t want to do it. When I’m not thinking of it, I’m happy, smiling, loving life.  The minute I think of the 400 yard swim or visualize myself standing on the beach waiting for the wave start, I feel this pit in my stomach.  So, there it is. I thought by now, that feeling would be gone and it isn’t.  This time next week, I'll be on vacation in Los Angeles and I really want to relax and enjoy myself. I don’t want to worry about swim training. 

Earlier this week, I made the decision to not register for Acworth. I feel good about it and that’s how I know it’s the right decision.  I will continue to work on body position/rotation and breathing.  This is in addition to running and cycling.   

Keep moving forward..

Callaway Gardens Sprint Tri

This was my first time participating in CG.  I thought it would be fairly easy after back to back Lake Lanier tris.  It was, sort of.  My body was a bit tired but I decided to press through.  The 2 hour drive to Pine Mountain wasn’t too bad.  I had a chance to hang out with Danielle and JoJo on Saturday. It’s always nice to spend time with nice people. It didn't feel rushed or hurried. We actually had time to talk and enjoy each others company. 

Callaway was interesting in the fact that the swim is in 5 feet of water.  I couldn’t believe it and actually walked out to the buoy and it’s true. The water was this blue/green chemical treated color and very warm.  A bit different from the brown, cloudy later water. JoJo and I walked through the water to the swim start as our warm-up.  This was probably the most relaxed I’ve ever been at a tri.  We’d racked our bikes next to each other earlier and agreed to stay together during the swim.  During the earlier start waves, we saw people with snorkels and one person walked the entire distance.  He didn’t put his face in the water.  That made us feel like pros!  Friends who’ve known us a while will get a kick out of that.  J

So, the swim starts and we are off. Practicing our strokes and calmly we get to the end. Heading up to transition we decide to go our own way.  The transition allowed me to practice.  I rode with clips again and felt very comfortable. Funny this was one of the first times I’d participate in a race without having first ridden the course.  A number of young kids passed me and I smiled. I think it’s so cool that parents have children in these events at 10 yo and up.  The bike ride is over after 8+ miles.  I don’t think it was actually 10, I transition and am off on the run.  This has to be my least practiced and least favorite part of the tri.  I must do better in the future. 

It seemed so hot during the run. I kept reminding myself, it’s only 2 miles…you can do anything for 2 miles.  So off I went.  I have to admit it was nice rounding the corner and seeing the finish. However, I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t receive a medal.

Oh well, I’m thankful for the finish. We had fun and no one was injured. What more could you ask for?   

I must say that riding with clips and focusing on maintaining cadence and being in the correct gear going up hill resulted in some very achy quads.  For a couple days my legs were screaming at me.  I guess that how it feels when I do it right, huh? 

Keep moving forward…

Happy Birthday to me!

June 11 has and will always be my favorite day of the year. It's my birthday. I don't celebrate buy buying a bunch of stuff. I typically celebrate my life by reflecting on the years that have passed, family members that I love and who love me, friendships that have been made and goals I've achieved. Every year, I marvel at my wonderful and blessed life. I give thanks to God for the many things and people that keep appearing. People that I had no idea would be placed in my life at the right time and for the right reasons, seasons or lifetime.  This year is no different. I hope to have many years of life remaining.

Today my eyes are fading, my body is tired but I am happy, healthy and loved. What more is there to want?  I took today off from training and realized that it's ok to take a day off when needed, enjoy a good meal, and enjoy a laugh.

Appreciate life tomorrow isn't promised.

My Next Tri

This past Saturday, I completed my next tri at lake lanier. This is the first time I've looked at a tri as a training, how much progress have you made outing. I'm working on my mental strength. This has proved to be more of a challenge than expected. The swim wasn't as easy as expected but a lot easier than Irongirl. I had butterflies while waiting on the shore and a couple times even found myself not wanting to start. But I did. I'm learning to push through. This was the first tri where I had to swim alone and push myself to keep going. No friends or coaches next to me to encourage and I pushed through. Honestly, it felt good to swim around yet another houseboat. I wish they wouldn't anchor them on race day. Swimming under a bridge, walk way for use by the temporary boat dock users. Listening to the crowd encourage me. It is true that people really do want you to succeed.

The 1/4 mile transition run/walk seemed doable. I didn't worry on stepping on anything or slipping. My sole focus was to get to transition as quickly as I could.  Upon arriving in transition, I found my bike [racked on the last rack] slipped on the necessary equipment and patiently walk/jogged the bike to the mount line. I clipped in and was on my way.  The transition is coming natural to me.  I guess the key is learning how to approach it and practice.

The bike ride went well. My primary focus was to have a good ride [first with clips] and try not to fall. The key I realized is being in the right gear, continuing to pedal, and keeping a watchful eye on the road and other cyclists. Sounds simple enough. About 3 miles away from transition, a car and other cyclists was in front of me.  I clipped out with my left foot and prepared to stop. Only then did I realize I was in the wrong gear for a hill, got a little disoriented tried to downshift while breaking and the next thing I knew, realized I was gonna fall. I should say tip over because that's what it seemed like. all I could do was unclip my right foot, lie back onto the grass a few seconds, laugh and then get up to continue.  I clipped back in and road the rest of the way in.

T2 was much easier. I removed the necessary gear, slipped on my shoes, and was on my way.

The run is becoming a feeling of, you've got this for me.  I guess at this point, I realize the hardest part is over.  I ran/walked the course and made it in. During the course I thought, this is the 3rd Lake Lanier run in as many months.  I'm not going to run Lake Lanier three times next year.  The downhill leading toward the finish was wonderful as always.  It was so nice to hear the announcer say my name and to receive the medal.

Crossing the finish line makes all the practice, early rising, anxiety and wondering how things will go worth it. It's a wonderful and addicting sense of accomplishment. I learned a few lessons and have some things to practice on.  Sunday, albeit tired, I found myself thinking of goals for the next 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. I'm hooked on trying to improve including riding and running with more advanced friends to improve.

I'm on the fence about Acworth. Funny, as much as I want to do it, I don't feel that I have to. If my swim is not up to speed, I won't register. I'll continue to practice, practice, practice until it's better. I think this is why I like triathlon, there is so much opportunity to improve.

Keep moving forward

Practice makes permanent

....or so I’ve been told. I hope that is the case with my swim skills. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve improved a lot since this time last year. With a few improvements, I expect to see BIG BIG BIG gains. Those improvements involve my catch and pull, so that I’m actually pulling the water and not so relaxed when I pull.  Pulling with a forced intensity so the resistance is noticeable and I move forward with efficiency. Also, getting into a rhythm with my breathing. Swimming four strokes before breathing so that I don’t start to feel like I’m not getting enough breath. I’m going to work on that this week and test it during My Next Tri this coming weekend.  The benefit of that tri is I actually can swim freestyle and sidestroke or limited backstroke if I tire. But the goal is to freestyle it.  Lastly, I want to become a little more intense. :-)  I have to chuckle because my nature is so laid back. However, I need to turn it up a notch and get fired up a little when I participate in these events.

I’ve been practicing with my clips. Yikes! I can’t believe I’m actually riding with them. I will ride MNT with them. The course is 10 miles with some hills. I’m going to practice a couple times this week.  I'm reminded of the mental aspect of trying something new. I have to focus on shifting to the right gear, keeping my cadence, and not thinking so much about my feet being clipped in. If I do that, I’ll get through the race.

Keep moving forward…

Irongirl Atlanta 2012

All I can say is WOW!!

What a life changing experience.  I experienced such a range of emotions at the event.  Starting with the swim. As a new swimmer, I hoped it wouldn't take longer than 35 minutes to complete. Well, it took longer than that and I learned a lesson.  Although I can swim on my back in open water, it's not the best approach. My goal will be to improve my comfort level in the water, including breathing so that I can continuously swim freestyle 600 meters.  I'm not sure how long it will take to reach the goal but it's ok.  I'm in no rush. If I practice consistently and with focus, I'll get there.

Next up, the bike. I enjoyed the ride. By the time I left transition, the roads were fairly clear. The good thing was I wasn't the only one on the roads. The volunteers were offering words of encouragement and I took the time to thank them.  It was a reasonably relaxed ride. There was an accident on the course which caused a short delay. During that time, I chatted with other cyclists, shared water with someone who'd forgotten theirs and said a prayer for the fallen cyclist. 

Finally, the run. I was so pumped by the time the run arrived. Although I was tired, I felt energized. Jesse and Kam were there every step of the way cheering for me.  My friends from TNT and USAFit were also cheering.  I was so proud of myself on that day. Durly the first 90 minutes, on a number of occasions I had to dig deep and keep going.  Honestly, I wanted to quit during the swim a few times but I didn't, couldn't.  I put in so much work training and my family sacrified so much, I couldn't quit.

Running down the final chute, hearing the announcement that I'm not an Irongirl was incredible.  Thanks to everyone that provided support throughout the event and after.

Keep moving forward.

One last long swim practice

This will be the Irongirl teams' last long swim.  I can’t believe it!  Our training season is almost over and we are less than 2 weeks out from Irongirl.  Todays practice will involve swimming further than race distance.  We will swim 600 meters. I’ve been reading a lot on staying present and not worrying about what other athletes are doing around me.  A key tenant of the book is to have fun while swimming and go at my own pace. So, instead of panicking, I decide to swim the entire distance backstroke. I don’t want to stress. I figure worse case scenario—if I have to backstroke the entire 500 meters at Irongirl, it would be nice to know how long it might take. Would I be able to complete it before the cutoff time?  This would be my chance to see. 

So, we get in the lane and I start.  Of course, the faster swimmers head out but I’m not going to panic. Oh, I forgot to mention, the swimmers training for the Oconee Olympic would be swimming 1300 meters. I knew some if not all would catch and pass me. Again, I didn’t panic and figured I could use this to simulate later waves where swimmers would catch and pass me.  On, I go, settling myself down..singing ‘Expect a Miracle’ by the Clark Sisters, ‘Control’ by Janet Jackson, ‘Lose Yourself by Eminem and I’m chugging along. After 450 meters or so, I get a bit distracted and remind myself, I can do all things through Jesus Christ..by now, the Oconee swimmers are passing me.  A couple times I swallow water or get water in my nose and choke up. I hate that choking feeling. It's so unnatural to feel my body seize up like that. I eventually regroup and keep going. Tuning out others and not worrying about being the last person. The goal is to finish before the cutoff and have fun.

Finally, I’m in the last 50 meters. Out of my peripheral vision, I see Cameron and a few others cheering me on. I make it to the end of the lane, climb the ladder out and hear Coach Beth say 30 minutes.  Whoo hoo!! I’ll take that. 600 meters backstroke in 30 minutes. That’s better than 40 or 50 minutes! Better yet, I accept that I’m much calmer on my back and will no doubt swim some of Irongirl on it. I know that due to limited visibility I don’t want to swim the entire thing on my back but I’m willing to swim some or most of it.  The goal is to finish the swim way before the cutoff and have fun doing it!

A takeway from this practice is to work on swimming 100-200 meters continuously over the next week. Not sure if I’ll reach that goal but I’m going to try.

Keep moving forward…

Open water swim at Van Pugh Park

It’s been a couple weeks since my last swim at Van Pugh. Looking at the distance we swam a couple weeks ago, it looks so much shorter. I can’t believe, I didn’t just jump into the water and go. But, I guess that’s where the mental training come in.

This is not a TNT training swim. The purpose of this outing is more time in the water to improve my comfort level.  I need it to be less intimidating on race day.

Dee and I decided to come out swam along the shoreline. We estimated the distance from one post to another at 100 meters and proceeded to move continuously for 30 minutes.  It took less than that to complete 500 m which made me feel good.  However, I do understand that swimming in shallow will be a bit different from deep. I know, I know, you swim the same in shallow and deep but to the newbie it still fills a bit different.  The water felt pretty good and we spent an hour or so out there.

Both of us are proud to have taken extra steps to get this done.  We had a great practice and plan to go to Mary Alice on Friday. 

Keep moving forward....

Tri brick workout - putting it all together

This was a good workout. I had a couple anxious moments during the swim but was able to work through them by holding on to the kayak and talking with Coach Jo.  I remember becoming so angry with her after swallowing water and having a coughing spell.  She later explained knowing that I’d be able to settle myself [I did] but I was still mad.  In hindsight, I understand how important being able to keep focus and/or settle myself down during the event will be.  I’ve got to stay focus and swim my pace/race while not worrying about others.  After returning to shore from the buoy swim, I wanted to swim more along the shore to get comfortable with the water. We did that and also practiced side stroke.  I felt a bit better.  Then asked about practicing the start.  So, I ran into the water and ‘dove’ in to simulate the start and it didn’t feel too bad.  At this point, I realized I need to get in the water 3-4 times before the last TNT swim on 5/19. If I have to drag Jesse to the lake to watch me, I will.  Turns out Dee was thinking the same so we agreed to come back to MAP on Monday.

I go to transition to the bike for the 5 mile out and back route.  My bike feels good. We are given cue sheets and I head out on the ride with Dee & Shana.  My gear shifting has improved a lot. I’m much more relaxed and even practice arm signals. There may be hope for me.

T2, dismount roll my bike to the rack and head out for the run.  The transition went well although my legs felt a big wobbly. Shana decides to run/walk with me.  We chat a bit during the outing before returning to our bikes for the second 5 miles. I realized I didn’t put air in my tires before the first ride.  I’ve got to not skip on that.  Complete the second files but decide to not run a second time.

I leave on a high note. It was a good practice.  

Is it possible to have a love/hate relationship with the sport of triathlon?  I love the challenge and beauty of it.  I also love the physical conditioning required and how good I feel.  I’m having a tougher time with the mental aspects of it.  This is a first for me.  I’ve achieved a lot in my life and usually meet/exceed my goals.  This one is throwing me for a loop. 

Sunday, April 29 was my first open water swim [ows] the training season. For those that don’t know, you basicly go to an open body of water and swim.  The water may be cold or warm, there is no wall to hold onto or push off of, and there isn’t a black line running along the bottom for guidance.  Also, there may be murky water, limited visibility, fish, debris, rocks, and other sorts of stuff that you don’t have to worry about in a pool. 

So, coming off my practice last Wednesday, I was fairly confident that today’s swim would go ok.  That wasn't the case. I woke up physically tired.  I actually thought of not going but then decided to push myself and ‘just show up’.  That’s usually half the battle.  "If I show up, I’ll get excited being around my friends and coaches, which would result in motivation and I’ll complete the yardage with no problems. I would be a domino effect."  Yeah, right!  Tired, cranky, limited mental ability Theresa showed up.  The water was cold and shortly after rounding the 1st pole, I looked way off into the distance, saw the 3^rd pole and decided it was too far away.  That did it, there went the little mental strength I had and I gave up.  Now that I’m writing this, I realize the importance of that mental decision. At that point, I didn’t care, I wanted out. 

I completed maybe 150 yards, changed direction—swam to the shore and announced I was done. No words of encouragement would change my mind. I actually, thought wow—is this considered giving up or does it count since it’s practice.  You know you can’t do this during the race.  Yeah, I know but I’m doing it today. I have a lot of solo conversations when training.

Two days later, I realized the important role mental strength will play in this event.  I will have to dig deep, say prayers, talk to myself, whatever it takes to finish. I know this, having told myself on a daily basis.  I have to say this is one of the toughest things I've ever had to do.  One of my coworkers has this on his email signature:  

We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.  

This is my great opportunity.  I'll keep moving forward…

15 miles on the schedule today!

Triathlon is wearing me out! My body is tired...my mind is too.  I’d finally decided to take today as a rest day.  I’d accepted that I wasn’t a slacker for not going to the pool today.  Checked email and see threads from TNT members announcing ‘I’m riding at Columns, anyone want to ride’ and ‘We’re riding Stone Mountain at 6, if anyone wants to join us’.  Oh crap! I checked the May training calendar and on Tuesday, May 1, it says 15 miles!  Double crap, 15 miles…but I need/want to rest.

Then I hear that tiny voice saying, you need to follow the training plan. Figure out a way to get 15 miles in.  I think on it for 30 seconds, then decide to work on other things.  A couple hours later, I head out to lunch. The thought that I have a trainer at home pops into my head.  You can ride the trainer for 90 minutes to get 15 miles in.  Yes!  I can ride the trainer!

Although it’s not the same as an outdoor ride, I’ll be on the trainer. I feel good about sticking to the training schedule. Hopefully, this qualifies as some sort of mental training exercise also.

Keep moving forward...

Major breakthrough at swim practice

Last night's practice involved all participants swimming their race distances. For me, that meant 500 meters, continuous and timed.  I’d downloaded a copy of Conquer your fear of water and spent a few hours reading it.  A few things stood out to me including:

1. the importance of remaining in control to prevent panic
2. staying present to the situation and aware of my feelings
3. follow any instructions that are revealed to me
4. have fun
5. don’t do anything I didn’t want to do.

I decided to do this all day and at practice.

I have to say it worked for me.  By staying present, I had no opportunity to build anxiety about practice.  Last week, Coach Mike, told me I’d swim 500 meters and be timed, but I had no idea how this would occur.  This was probably the first time during the pre-meeting I didn’t have anxiety about the pending workout.  Stay present.  After the meeting, we head over to the pool and our designated lanes.  Those swimming 500 meters would start in lane 7, then swim back in lane 8, exit the pool and get into lane 1. We’d then swim up/down lanes 1-8 to complete the distance. 

I swam a 200m warm-up then headed to lane 7.  Coach Beth gave us the pre-swim spiel, confirming how much fun this would be [yeah right].  She blew the whistle and off we went. I decided, to let everyone start and then jump in.  I swam freestyle maybe 30 meters and felt myself began to panic. Then decided to switch to side stroke for a bit.  Eventually, sidestroke became backstroke.  I know, backstroke of all things. I just happened to have watched a few videos of it and it’s supposed to be good for imprinting freestyle body position.  So backstroke it was. To my surprise, it felt GREAT!  I’d forgotten how relaxed I am on my back.  I could count, sing, and remind myself ‘I’m in Control’ while singing a la Janet Jackson.  That would become a new mantra.  It wasn’t the fastest backstroke but it allowed me to swim the 500m distance in 25minutes and 4 seconds.  Who Knew!!

The more important things were:

1. I stayed present and listened to that voice whispering, “try the backstroke”;
2. I completed the race distance—that was huge for me
3. I did it in less than my target time <30 minutes
4. I wasn’t exhausted afterward, since I stayed calm
5. I didn’t worry about other swimmers that are faster than me. 

So I’ve decided to continue practicing and improving in the coming weeks.  Who knows, I might be able to get my time under 20 minutes. I’ll continue to stay present and not worry about anyone else’s race but my own.  Oh, and I’ll have fun while doing it!!

Remember to keep moving forward...

Zooma Half Marathon

This was my first race of the season and I had no idea which Theresa would show up. I’ve not run consistently for a while now. I was curious to find out how the swimming and cycling would translate into running.  Although my time doesn't seem like it, I think there was much improvement in my performance.  My best time last season was close to 2 hours and 55 minutes [please stop laughing].  That was after running 2-3 months consistently. Also, there was a 3 month period where I ran 5 half marathons. 

Given the hilly course at Lake Lanier and my lack of running, I think a sub 3 hour performance was good. I'm looking forward to track workouts with my running group. That combined with continuing to swim and cycle should result in a good season for me.

Back to Zooma.  In my opinion, the course was extremely hilly. It didn't help that I'd cycled 19 miles around Lake Lanier in preparation for the Irongirl triathlon the day before. On the other hand, I'm giving myself a pat on the back for conditioning [good job Theresa].  I didn’t care for the Zooma course loop either. This was probably my first and possibly last race that involves a loop.  I didn't like knowing I'd be tortured again from miles 6 - 12.  I was not looking forward to it but figured it would be a good way to practice mental training. Let's work on those mantras!  I am a runner, I am a triathlete, I can do this, I've got this, don't worry about those yanks laces hurting your feet, keep moving forward... you get the picture! 

It was nice to see friends from the USAFit Gwinnett group.  Everyone is quite friendly and always so encouraging.  Toward the end, as I walked more hills, I had a brief chat with Dimity McDowell  http://anothermotherrunner.com/.  She has to be 6’2 and we discussed how being tall with long legs is deceiving.  Everyone expects you to be fast and it’s not always true. 

Remember to keep moving forward

Although this picture is blurry, I like it.  This had to be mile 1 before we knew what was coming.  :-)

Cycle Irongirl Sprint Triathlon course

Irongirl is about 4 weeks out and I am nervous.  Working on the mental aspects of the swim and now gearing up for the ride. Fortunately, there is time for a few practice rides. This was my first time riding the Lake Lanier course.  My longest ride to date is 23 miles. The Irongirl course is 19 miles.  So, in theory, I shouldn’t have a problem.  My friend, Debbie, came along for practice.  We met the TNT group, received instructions and our maps, and heading out.  This was pretty cool. We started in the transition area, down the hill and to the right heading out.  I knew there would be hills and was all set to practice shifting and attacking.  The first hill I remember is New Bethany Church. Sheesh, memories of my first tri and the hybrid bike returned. I pushed that bike up the hill but that wouldn’t be the case with my Specialized road bike.  I successfully maneuvered the gears and made it up the hill. 

There were a few points during the route that REALLY stand out. Going down the Jimmy Dodd hill. I had to have reached a speed of a gazillion mph…well maybe not that fast but it felt like it.  Probably was closer to 30 mph. I have to check my Garmin.  Luckily there was a guy in front of me. I told myself…do what he’s doing. Middle of the road [check], hold the handle bars [check], yell weee [check], and of course smile since this was kind of fun. 

The next memorable section was the hill after Jimmy Dodd, steep uphill that I wasn’t prepared for.  I attempted to ride it but ended up walking part of it. I think Debbie rode the entire hill.  Then there was the bonus downhill through the neighborhood. This won’t be part of Irongirl but we were steered onto it by mistake.  There was so much gravel, I thought I was going to fall [I didn’t].  Walked the bike up this hill too. I enjoyed the Peachtree Industrial stretch. It was a nice break from the rolling hills.  The last memorable hill was the return to transition. I was totally unprepared and in my higher gears. I turned left only to find myself on a hill.  Downshifted and eventually made my way into transition.

For kicks Debbie and I went to check out the walk from the swim to the transition area.  Talk about steep. Whenever I exit the Lake, I’ll definitely walk or crawl to my bike.

Remember to keep moving forward..

Dacula Ride

This morning, I rode with a group out of Apalachee Cycle in Dacula. This was a step out of my comfort zone and I was a bit nervous.  I'm used to riding with at least one person I already know. 

Upon pulling into a parking spot, I saw a few bikes on car racks and realized I was in the right place. I got out of my car and met one of the leaders, Steve.  I then walked over and introduced myself to two other riders, Katie and Melba. A few minutes into the conversation, we discovered a) all were new to cycling and b) training for Irongirl. Having that in common was a great ice breaker. 

After taking a photo of Katie, I asked her to return the favor and have these wonderful shots of me adding air to my tires.  I've learned this is a must do, preride ritual no matter how full the tire might feel.  I twisted the thingy [not sure what it's called] that keeps the air in, returned the black cap, and now I'm ready to go.  I love my bike.

We rode 18.5 miles of beautiful, rolling hills. This provided a chance to practice pedaling to gain momentum, then downshifting to make it up a hill.  I'm actually starting to enjoy the downhill portion. The breeze feels awesome.

There were a couple dogs along the route waving hello. They didn't chase us but took the time to greet us.  Another important thing we practiced was calling out 'car back', 'car forward', 'pothole' and any other phrase that helps your riding buddies stay safe. I practiced drinking while riding. Retrieving the water bottle with my left hand so the right is available to stop if needed.

During the course of the ride, I had a conversation about the benefits of clip-ins. After a quick flashback to my experience with them, I thought  maybe in July I'll try them. Now, is not the time.  I have too much to learn like how to reset the chain. On one of the last hills, the chain came off as I was downshifting. I stopped [later learned continuing to pedal is a way to reset it] and had to get assistance from Steve to reset it. Nothing like a little grease on my fingers to prove I actually attempted to do it.

After exchanging contact information, I secretly hoped McDonald's was still serving Egg McMuffins [they were]. I thoroughly enjoyed the EM, hash brown and coffee before heading home. What a wonderful way to start the day!

Harbins Park Ride

This past Saturday, I had a fantastic ride with my friend Karen. She led me on an adventure around the hills of Harbins. I have to admit, being a bit nervous but that quickly faded when we started the ride. Karen made me feel quite comfortable. Given my prior rides with TNT, I’d had a chance to practice shifting in preparation for hill climbing. I had a general idea. Karen confirmed when to shift so that I could actually pedal up 99% of the hills.  I was even comfortable during the instances when she’d ride ahead and I’d find myself on the road alone.  I told myself, this is how it will be on the Irongirl course. You won’t have anyone beside you to chat with so get used to staying focused and watching the road for rocks.  Luckily, we completed the ride without being chased by dogs. However, did go through a patch of vultures.  I was so happy that they didn’t try to attack me.  I think they were preoccupied by breakfast. 

23 miles, including an awesome hill at mile 22.  As I saw it on the horizon, all I could do was laugh and think REALLY, KAREN? REALLY? But I downshifted and said to myself, count to 100 and you’ll be at the top of the hill.  I did that and at #100, I looked up to see Karen’s smiling face waiting to greet me with a cheer and high five. 

What a fabulous way to start the day!

To tread or not to tread…

One of my goals is to know how to tread water before the Irongirl. My thought is, if necessary, I can tread to gather my bearings and look for buoys. Not sure if that will be needed but it seems a worthwhile goal. So, Tuesday, I found a youtube video with instructions, watched it a few times, then thought I should be able to do this after 2-3 weeks.  I went to the gym to practice. In shallow water, I practiced the sculling hand position. This doesn’t seem to bad. I then went to 7 ft, held the wall, and practiced first a flutter, then a breast stroke kick. Hhhhmmm, this might be a bit difficult. I spent thirty minutes alternating sculling, kicking, kicking, sculling. I then tried it a few times but couldn’t get the coordination. 

This is a start. I decided to swim a few laps before leaving. I’ll try again another day but I’m on my way…