The Swim - Race Day

The swim portion of this triathlon was an in-water start.  Some start on the bank/beach where athletes run in and then dive, but this one, we stood in the water in our group (gray swim caps – last group) until the group ahead of us went and then waded out to the start area, treaded water for a few minutes and then the horn.  Being in the water for a few minutes before heading to the start got me used to the 66 degree temperature of the lake.  It really didn’t feel that bad to me – a combo of the wetsuit and adrenalin – and good ‘ole Yankee blood, I’m sure.  Then we headed out to the start!

I was having fun at this point.  The announcer gave us props for being first timers, and I yelled, “WAIT!  This is a TRIATHLON!?!?! What the hell?” which gave everyone a good laugh. As always, when I get nervous, I have to laugh.  I looked back to shore and saw my whole loving family, yelling and screaming, and I gave them a HUGE wave. I searched and searched for Matt, but couldn’t find him.  My wonderful husband was searching for the perfect photo op spot! HA!  Then, just a second before the horn went, I yelled, “GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!” and everyone in the water cheered. I do love being an extrovert sometimes. :-D

And we were off… and for the first maybe 2 minutes I felt great.  Like, “All RIGHT! I’ve got this!” Yea, I was kicked in the head and the body.  And I was running over people. But I felt ok.

And then it went downhill. Fast.  I couldn’t see where I was going.  There were no lines on the bottom.  It was dark.  It was cold.  There were no people on either side of me. And my heart rate started to sky rocket. And my breaths started coming WAY to quickly.  So – I did what my friends had told me to do – I flipped over on my back and started to kick…

And for about 65% of the 750 meters, I stayed JUST like that. L

I’m telling you what – the open water kicked my ass. Hard.  Every time I flipped over, my heart started to race and my breath started to come too quickly.  I know I have a strong stroke and I could have made up SO much time, but I really started to have to tell myself, “this is not going as you planned.  Finish this any way you can. Just finish.”  So I did.  I would flip over occasionally and swim. But as soon as I felt uncomfortable, I would go back on my back and kick hard.

Soon enough, the end was near.  I took the last turn and swam with everything I had left.  I started to hear the wonderfully LOUD booming voice of the love of my life and then the sounds of the rest of my family screaming, yelling me in.  And I was soon running up the stairs (wobbly legs, wobbly legs…), on the grass mats to T1. 

Frigging A.  It may not have been pretty, but I did the swim

It's RACE DAY - Roundup

Pulling into the race area was intimidating.  While the night before there weren’t many people there, by 9:10am on race day, there were thousands.  Cars everywhere, people of all shapes in sizes, wearing all sorts of fitness gear walking with bikes and backpacks.  I was trying to act cool… like I knew what I was doing.  I was determined to be like Chrissie Wellington – I was going to smile, always.  I was feeling calm and relaxed for the most part.  The sun was shining, I felt good… and that was really all I could ask for.

First thing I did was rack my bike and get my gear out in my area.  I knew the fundamentals of my transition area, but didn’t know how THE TRANSITION AREA worked.  What I found out is that you are racked based on your number.  So, I had to find where my number was in this huge area of bike racks and that was my little space.  And then unpack how I see fit without crowding anyone.  Six bikes per rack – and my little space.  I didn’t even know how to get my bike ON! But, I learned by watching, got my gear out and I was good to go. I think I did okay, too.

Walked over to get my timing chip (goes on your left ankle with a special strap and stays on the whole time) and to get marked (permanent marker – your number on both arms and front of both legs above your knees, then your division/age group on your left calf).  Then, I went on a little jog.  Nothing fast, more to get my legs moving and the blood flowing.  It felt GREAT to move – and it was probably good to run on the trail a bit to get used to it.  I was probably only running 5 minutes, but in the process completely lost Matt.  I got really frustrated – nerves.

But, in the meantime, my brother and his girlfriend (who I was meeting for the first time – and who is wonderful – thank God because it would have sucked had I not liked her on THAT day of all days, right??) showed up.  My brother is my inspiration in a lot of things and having him there to keep me calm and basically tell me to grow a pair and shut up was helpful.  He is pretty much the only person in the world that can, or will, do that.  And I love that about us. 

After seeing them both, and yet another visit to the bathroom (er, porta potty), it was time for me to go get into my wetsuit. After one mishap (um – I put it on backwards.  THAT would be nerves, folks), I was in.   And… the rest of the family showed up!  Three little girlies and my mom and dad!  Initially I hadn’t wanted them there, but as soon as my huge cheering section showed up, I was so very happy they were there.  I knew seeing and hearing them was really, really going to be wonderful.

And, after munching down a mini Cliff bar (if you haven’t had these, you should – 100 calories, they are the perfect size for me before and during workouts), we headed down to the start!  It was about a 5 minute walk from the Transition Area to the lake start and I was calm and joking, which I thought was good.  By the time we got there, music was playing and the announcer was just about to start instructions.  So, I took a few pictures with everyone (we joked that nobody looks good in wetsuits) and then had to walk away.  I really had to start focusing. 

 

Because I was swimming “Novice” – the designation for those of us that are total newbies – I was in the last start group of 6.  That was good for me because the first horn went off at 10am and I had a full 15 minutes to get my breath, cheer a bit, and see what was doing!

So…. A lot of big hugs and kisses, and I sent people away!  HERE WE GO!

Pre-Tri Roundup

Well, in case you haven’t heard (heh), I finished my triathlon yesterday. And I am happy to say that I went into it and came out of it with exactly the right frame of mind.  I finished.  I didn’t go in trying to race a clock or anyone else.  I didn’t come out angry that I didn’t do well or my best on certain event.  I am really happy that I finished.  And I really had a great time!  It was fun.  I didn’t expect to come out saying that, but it was!

I’m going to take this post to just give a little overview of the weekend before leading up to race day, then race day, and then am going to dissect each event in later posts.  Those are more for me to remember and learn… they may bore the hell out of you (sorry!).  I know that’s a lot, but I want to remember certain things about each event.

Saturday was a whirlwind day – First soccer game of the year for #1, running here and there.  Being, well… mom!  When we finally got home, Hubs ran out to find the perfect bike rack for our cars.  It is the first time we were traveling and he wanted to get one for mine (which we were planning on bringing, a sedan) and then one for his – our family SUV. But, due to the fact my bike is made of carbon fiber, they don’t recommend putting one on the back of a car… who knew?  So – my car was out and UP it goes on top of the SUV.  I love that my man is a researcher; I trust that whatever he gets is the right thing.  By the time he got home to install the rack, I had the baby down for her nap and had packed my transition bag.  While I had seen checklists and had been purchasing things for months, actually having everything together in one spot, in one bag was CUHRAZY.  There is so much you need for actual race day to go into one bag.  I mean, seriously!  I am so glad I had done my research, and even happier I decided to buy a transition bag at the last minute.   It was very smart to have everything in one place, easy to reach, where I knew where I had packed it.  Took some anxiety out while I was setting up.

So – we had seriously JUST decided on Friday night to go down on Saturday.  Because the race didn’t start until 10am, I had always just assumed we’d get up early and go… but as it got closer, I started to get a teeny bit anxious.  And it ended up being a great move.  The directions they gave us were bad, so off the highway, where it should have been 25 minutes, it took us on Saturday afternoon, almost an hour to get to the race site.  I would have been PANIC CITY!  Not what I would have needed.  Plus, it obviously let me sleep and not worry about getting up early (not that I’m not used to it) and drive for 2.5 hours before the race.  So, all in all, a good move.

Got to the race site on Saturday at about 5:30 and checked in.  While Matt called around to find us a hotel room, I got my number (the West Virginia area code, obviously the first thing Hubs pointed out) and looked  around a bit.  There was a pre-race meeting, mostly attended by us newbies and I learned QUITE a bit.  The biggest thing was that… um, OH – the run was all trail running!  This was a big thing for me because I don’t run off road, I am a road runner.  And, as I have mentioned, I was counting on the run to help me.  Ugh.  But, not getting disheartened.  Everything else seemed like I had learned looking at maps, and after the meeting, Matt and I walked down to the lake…. To just peer at my nemesis ;-).

To the hotel he found, threw our bags and my bike in, and off to “the steakhouse.” See, we were basically in the middle of nowhere.  The town we ended up staying in is a trucker town – caters to truck drivers. So, we asked the lady at the front desk of our hotel for somewhere to eat, she said, “there’s a steak place or a pasta place.”  A steak and baked potato sounded perfect to me… so off we went. Um, well… so… We pulled up to a $9.99 for a 16 oz. steak place.  And let me just say, I know I am spoiled now for living in Washington, DC, but wow.  I ate MAYBE a 1/8 of it and the potato.  It was the absolute worst.  But it was hilarious.  We laughed the whole way through. 

Back to the room, a bit of prep for the morning, and off to sleep.  Okay, I won’t lie… I took some nighttime cold medicine to help me sleep.  Antsy-pants.  And My Man was there all night to hug me back to sleep when I rolled over.  I seriously have the best husband in the world, hands down.  He was there to anticipate, to do, to be.  He had no idea WHAT I needed or WHAT to expect… but he sure tried.

Morning came, up and at ‘em!  And off to… Denny’s. No, seriously.  Denny’s had the healthiest food in the area.  Oatmeal with apples, raisins and honey. Which, coincidently, is what I eat most mornings (but, after I workout).  The whole timing of this race had me a bit anxious.  As you know, I workout super early, then eat.  Of course I would have SOMETHING on my stomach before any race, but having to eat a full meal, then wait around for hours?  Eh… not cool.

After a shower (yes, I shaved my legs… um, hello?), packed up the car and off to the race site.  We got there earlier than I had to, so one of the best things I did was ask Hubs to drive the bike course.  VERY smart move because it let me feel it out a bit.  While no huge hills (Thank you Lord Jesus), there were some ups and some crazy turns.  Also a lot of gravel that it was good to know about.  Plus, being a first timer, I didn’t know what “chalk lines” actually looked like.  Seeing them on the road was helpful.

So – then into the area!... and time to post this beast! (if you’re still here… thanks for being a trooper).

It's TRI TIME!

Well… it’s here.  So funny because I know I’m only doing a Sprint, but my heart is racing a mile a minute.  I didn’t get some of the last minute training – or training in general – done I really wanted to do.  I still don’t know how to transition into the bike (T1).  I just ran out of time!  I am still not uber convinced I am not going to sink to the bottom of the lake during the swim.  I have been warned that I may panic during water entry, I have been told so many times that I will be kicked and punched and swam over and, when I do the same, I can’t stop and say I’m sorry, because it is expected. 

I feel fairly confidant in my physical ability, in my conditioning.  I have really been working hard.  Have I done everything I have wanted? No.  I have time limitations that I came to grips with early on.  But I am in better shape in many ways than I have been in in a very long time. 

But I am nervous.  Very nervous.  And I know it is because it is my first triathlon since I decided to take this on seriously.  I made a commitment to this 4 months ago and it is here.  And my heart is racing and my mind is racing.  I need to calm myself and remember that so much of this me being able to focus.

I need to remind myself that tomorrow is not about time.  I am racing Novice, not in my age group.  I did that so that I won’t focus on time or standings.  I gave myself ONE race where it doesn’t count officially towards anything.  So that I can take a deep breath and ENJOY THIS!  Be proud of the fact I’m a mom of three that, just 15 months ago weighed 110 pounds more than I do now and could barely walk up my stairs without breathing heavy – and now I’m going to run in with a smile on my face after 2 other events.  I am going to be proud of myself that I am going to get on this frigging bike that I LOATHED when I bought it just a few months ago and now race it.  And I AM going to finish this half mile swim, dammit!  I really do want to enjoy this.

So, my transition bag is packed (HOLY CRAP you need a lot of shit for race day!!), I’m about to pack my bag for our stay in some crappy hotel down near the race site,  and… we’re off! 

To everyone that has sent me texts, emails, commented here or on Facebook, sent a prayer or positive thought my way, I want to thank you.  I am a person that really does better when I have people cheering me on, questioning me, being there and letting me know I’m not alone.  And you all are helping me along the way.

Pray I don’t sink tomorrow!

4.5 days and counting... Leading the Tri-Life

It has been a rough week and a half for me, health wise. Which obviously couldn’t have come at a worse time because my first triathlon is this Sunday.  It seems these things are cropping up right before an event ~ but this time, I’ll be there!  Despite the antibiotics I have been on for my strep which I found out I had at 4am on Wednesday, I developed a nasty head cold that went into my chest. Nothing too bad, but uncomfortable and sapped my energy.  A whole week without swimming, days without running, and very little energy.  A bike ride on Saturday aborted because I didn’t dress for the weather (froze – literally – after 10 miles)… a minor car accident, issues at work ~ seriously, it was just not a good week.

But, I’m breathing better now, I’m sleeping better now, and I’m eating better now. It is only Tuesday and I’m committed to being at 100% by this weekend.  I was really unhappy with how I did at swimming today ~ my stroke felt great, but my endurance was horrible, mostly due to my low energy.  I need to get out after work and practice my transition from swim to bike.  And I need to make sure I keep drinking my water and eating well, which I’ve been pretty good with so far.

These are my commitments this week.  Because I have less than 4.5 days left!

I’ve been talking to other people who lead this crazy life that I have started to lead.  Those of us that work and have families, but that also live the “Tri Life.”  Someone told me that a triathlete has a natural ability to endure challenges and setbacks, to push through pain, and to achieve their goals.  This isn’t just physical, this is a life ability. Some tap into this better physically, some mentally and some emotionally.  But once it is on, it is ON and they are unstoppable.  We (almost “we!”) are a “I CAN” people because that is who we are.  “I can’t” isn’t in our vocabulary.

Being in triathlons means being very purposeful about your existence, especially when you have a job and family.  There is no time to waste and every second means something.  Even down time is important ~ and scheduled.  But this is the life we want to live.  Getting up early to and working out twice a day, living this lifestyle, and asking those we love to help us – this is an intentional existence that I love so far and I’m trying to share with those that I love the most.

And living this life means you have to maintain a strong balance of body, mind and spirit.  There is so much that is mental about endurance activities – triathlons and marathons – that goes far beyond the physical.  Even those athletes in the best physical condition can have bad days because their mind isn’t in it.  It is creating balance and knowing you are feeding your soul and your body and creating peace in your life which is going to let you achieve top physical shape.  Triathletes have to focus so much on balance – this is why some are the most fit people on the planet (um… not me.  Just to let you know.)

I’m all about creating balance in my life.  If I have learned one thing in the past three years, it is that I am a worker bee, a mom, a wife, a friend, but also I am Rebecca.  And Rebecca is a girl that gets a lot out of all of this.  It keeps me sane (well… sane-ish).  I’m not doing this to win any medals or be the top of any field.  I’m doing it because it is there.  And for me.  And that feels pretty great. 

Such a small community... of crazies

It is a lot of fun meeting other people who are endurance athletes (dude, I just called myself that. ROCK. ON!!) and talking to them.  It’s like we are this bunch of frigging crazy nut jobs that just love what we are doing so much and are drawn to each other. Immediately, we are best friends.  And huge supporters of each other. And it happens everywhere.  Someone will hear you talking, see you in a t-shirt, notice you limping… and ask the inevitable “did you do that race?”, “are you training for XXX?”, “when is your next XXX?”, and then it’s over.  My husband immediately excuses himself as his eyes glaze over. He knows the next 15 minutes are about to be spent talking about splits and transitions and this and that… I love it.

This weekend I met a woman who started her triathlon career last year and on a whim did a 70.3 (that’s a half Ironman) at the end of the season.  That’s pretty hardcore, but don’t let me tell you I haven’t thought long and hard about it.  But she is a swimmer while I am a runner.  I have learned that most everyone has their strongest event.  And while my weakest is the swim, my definite strongest is the run.  So she adding another quarter mile to her swim wasn’t a huge hurdle for her after she had trained for the Olympic distance (1 mile), while that sounds like such a killer to me.  But she dreaded the 6 mile to the 13 mile running distance.  That is nothing to me. 

We each have our own. 

Last week was a really positive week for me.  And made me feel much more confidant up my upcoming Sprint tri on the 15^th.  I had two great swim practices and am FINALLY seeing a noticeable increase in my endurance.  Thank goodness because I’m going to have to do my swim in a wetsuit. UGH!  Still not feeling uber confidant, but I know I will finish and be okay, even if it means some of it isn’t pretty and a bit of dog paddling… I’m okay with that.  Really.  And I may surprise myself and just do it.

It was also my first week back running after almost 4 weeks off because of my shin splint.  I was SO nervous – nervous it would hurt again and I’d have to stop.  Nervous I’d be back to drawing board when it came to my time and endurance.  Just nervous.  But, it was almost like I hadn’t stopped. Almost ;-) 

I put in 32 miles last week (Saturday-Saturday), including 10 miles on Saturday at a pace I’m pretty happy with.  No pain, no nothing. This is really comforting to me.

AND, it made me (almost) make a decision. 

So – my running times are very consistently improving.  I do not wear a watch and do not to drills to increase my time.  I don’t look at them until I finish – maybe next year I will but right now I’m just in the “I want to finish this distance” mode.  I really just started to run in December so I can’t deal with all of the rest right now.  But, I’m noticing a pretty good increase in my times even as my distances increase.  And this is good.

Welllll…. I am signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon in October, after I turn 35.  And 35 is an “age up” year to qualify for the Boston Marathon, a REALLLLLLY big deal for runners.  But I think that it will be too intimidating to try to do if it is my first marathon.  You tend to run too fast, to hurt too much, etc. on your first marathon.

So, I am very much considering adding a marathon to my races this year.  There is one on August 19 in Pennsylvania that I am looking at.  It is pre-age up, and there is NO way I’ll make it to Boston until after I age up, but I think it will be good to have one under my belt.  It IS kinda close to my 1^st Olympic tri, but I have it figured out I think… I’ll start marathon training end of April, and keep tri training, but focus more on the run.  I’ll do bike training on my off days for running only (2 days a week) and keep swimming 2 days a week, which should be fine. 

That’s my news!  I’m pretty syked.  Won’t be disappointed if I don’t make Boston, but will be kinda cool to get 2 marathons in my first year out! WOOT!

Sidelined for a bit...

Haven’t been on here in a while.  For awhile, writing was the last thing I wanted to do because I kind of had to admit… well, not defeat, but weakness.  And it was REALLY bothering me.  I was really trying to not let it, but it really was.

What I didn’t say here is that I was very close to making the decision to change my bib for my first event, the DC Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon on March 17 from the half marathon to a full marathon.  It was going to be a game day (well… day before, when I picked up my number) decision, but I felt like I was really close to being “there.”  I was strong and healthy and while I didn’t expect to make a terrific show, I felt like I could finish.  No, it wasn’t going to be the smartest decision I have ever made because I had NOT trained for a marathon length.  But, over the two weeks prior, I had bumped up my long runs to a distance I felt would enable me to finish.

Well… then my body decided differently.  On, February 25, I decided to run 20 miles, the longest I’ve ever run.  The weekend before I had completed 15 with very little issue.  I thought that if I could do the 20, and nothing went wrong the last two weeks, then why not?

Well, my run itself went really well. Don’t get me wrong, the last three miles sucked, but I think that is totally in my head, because the last three of all of my long runs suck. But, I really was pretty proud!  My time was good, my body was good, and I felt great.

Until I got home.  Then my body just caved.  NOTHING went right.  Everyone I spoke with said that is completely normal ~ sometimes your body hits a wall and goes nuts on you.  Mine did and it recovered. WOW, what an experience THAT was! HA!  But, what didn’t recover was my right shin.  Such pain, I really didn’t think I was going to be able to walk!  Came out of nowhere and wouldn’t go away.  For days, I was nearly brought to tears more than once just by walking a bit too much or rubbing my shin.  After 5 days, I tried to run – just two miles – and cried the whole way.  ME! I cried!  It was crazy.

So, totally stopped running. I was CRUSHED.  In my mind, I realized the marathon was out, and I pretty much realized the half was probably gone, too.  I was, at that point, praying that it wasn’t a stress fracture because I was going to be out for a long time and I have so many other races coming up!

Thankfully, was able to get into my orthopedic doctor who took an x-ray and could only kinda sorta see through the immense amount of inflamed muscle I had.  He was 90% sure it wasn’t broken (phew), so I got an anti-inflammatory, exercises, and sent to PT.  And told… no running.  That was on the 12^th.  Went back for another xray last Friday and no break and the inflammation is finally down.  This Saturday, I went for my first run!  3.5 miles, about 45 seconds off my pace, but… I did it!  Went again Sunday, 5 miles, and went again today, 4 miles, with a better pace – not great, but getting there.  It’s a little tender, need to stretch and ice tonight, but it feels good!

It was pretty upsetting to go from thinking I was going to do a marathon to wondering if I had a break.  I’ve been kinda trying to keep up with everything else, and now have only about 3 weeks until my first triathlon!  UGH!  I feel a bit more invigorated now that I can run again – like I’m whole.  It’s hard when that is my best sport to lose it!

But… I did do some research today.  I may be adding an event.  There may be another marathon added. This one BEFORE my 35^th birthday!!  WOOO HOO!