Mad Beach Tri. 1/2 mile swim, 15 mile bike, 5K
The swim: We started on the beach, swam about 20 yards to the first buoy, then heading along the shore. I felt really strong. Put my head down and swam. Yes, I did swim to the outside to avoid the melee but everything felt good. Except my split was 4 minutes slower than last year. Only 20 minutes into the day and my big goal of going 1:30 was already down the tubes.
T1. Grab the bike and go. Many thanks to Christy for loaning me some socks before the race. Don't know what happened to the pair I had picked out. Obviously they did not want to race that day.
The bike: A bit of a slow start as I weaved my way through the crowded early sections. Overall the bike was solid. Joe fixed part of the Cat Eye so at least I had a vague idea of my speed. This is a good thing because the first half of the course is slightly uphill and it's easy to slow down. Almost rode right into an orange cone but saw it just in time to skim the edge. My parents live on the bike course so they came out to cheer. Always good to see them. Nothing else too big to report. Passed a bunch of the faster swimmers. Played cat and mouse with a few women in my age group. The dismount line was pretty crowded and cost me some time but that's just part of the game. Can't complain because my bike split was almost the exactly the same as last year.
T2: Really flying here. No one messed with my stuff like last year.
The Run: The second half of the race is on the sand so I knew it would be important to bank some time before the turn around. I really wanted to break 30 minutes for this 5K. Hit the turn around in 13:45! Passed a few women in my age group which is not something that happens during my runs. :) It was a long 1.55 back along the sand but I held firm to my #1 rule: no walking. As the runners around me caved in to the heat and sand, my legs kept on running. It paid off with a 29:14 split for the run. This is 4 minutes faster than last year even though my bike speed/effort was the same. Nice progress.
Overall: Very strong race and I'm happy with my effort and performance. I achieved Goals 1&2 which were to set a new course record for me and finally break 30 minutes for this 5K.
As for my big goal of going 1:30...the swim is holding me back. One more item for the "Crap I already know" file. I'm putting time and money into swim training but it's just not coming along to my satisfaction. 3-4 minutes slower than last year. To make me feel a little better, a friend who won the male 35-39 said even he was 2 minutes slower than last year. So the course was not exactly the same between years. OK, I feel one tiny notch better. Doesn't change the fact that I will never win age group hardware with such a crappy swim time.
But it's GO TIME! I have the whole summer free and the husband is on board with working out and clean living. Age group nationals isn't in the cards for this year but with some dedicated effort, it will be there next year.
Comparison:
2009
1:37:20 34 of 55
Swim 16:52 (25th in age group)
T1 1:51
Bike 43:32 (11th)
T2 1:47
Run 33:19 (44th)
2010
Overall 1:35:50 23 of 73
Swim 20:24 (47th)
T1 1:30
Bike 43:36 (15th)
T2 1:07
Run 29:14 (27th)
Monday, May 24, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Want it?
And so I find myself in the middle of triathlon season thinking...I can't.
So many training goals that must be balanced with life responsibilities. Job hunting. Housekeeping (not my forte). All the money drains like pool memberships. Race fees. New Shoes. Coaching. Crossfit. Some days it's overwhelming.
I can't.
But what does that mean, exactly?
- I bit off more than I can chew
or
- I could make it happen if I really wanted it.
In other words: if you want it, you'll find a way. Otherwise, you make an excuse.
Today, I don't feel so sure but...Do or do not. There is no try.
Here's to eliminating the excuses!
So many training goals that must be balanced with life responsibilities. Job hunting. Housekeeping (not my forte). All the money drains like pool memberships. Race fees. New Shoes. Coaching. Crossfit. Some days it's overwhelming.
I can't.
But what does that mean, exactly?
- I bit off more than I can chew
or
- I could make it happen if I really wanted it.
In other words: if you want it, you'll find a way. Otherwise, you make an excuse.
Today, I don't feel so sure but...Do or do not. There is no try.
Here's to eliminating the excuses!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
RR: Florida International Triathlon
Short Version:
Age group 6 of 9
Total time-3:03:11
Swim (no wetsuit) 38:25
T1 (long run) 2:59
Bike (26 miles) 1:21:45
T2 1:31
Run: 58:33
Great race. Well run with great goodie bag schwag. A little dicey on the open roads for the second lap of the bike which cost me a minute or so but such is life. PR by a few seconds. Beat my bike and run paces from St. A's on a pretty windy day. Even my swim time was good because FIT was not wetsuit legal. My favorite: 58:33 for a 10K after a 26 mile bike? Hell yeah!
Long version with details to remember:
This race sprinkled age groups through out the racks. I was the only girl in my section. The guys next to me were space hogs. They insisted on setting up next to me instead of alternating sides. Probably two pillowcases worth of space each. WTF, I can set up my transition on a dish towel for heavens sake.
The weather forecast had promised light winds on race day but Madame Pele had other ideas. Standing on the beach, the locals muttered about how rough the water looked. And it was. Big swell past the sand bar. Substantial current that would be in our face for half the swim. 80F water means no wetsuits. Suck it up buttercup.
Swim: There were only a few dozen in the "Women under 40" wave. I made it around the first 2 zigs and headed around for the zag, a half mile swim into the wind/wave/current cocktail. The pack seemed to have trouble following the course in the swell so I took off on my own. If they want to swim to Cuba, that's fine but I'm heading for that big red bouy. At first I felt nervous about swimming alone but I finally stopped fighting the water. When the wave lifted me up for a peek at the course, I would site. Otherwise, I simply put my head down and swam. Focused on body rotation and keeping my hands at 10 and 2. The water became crowded as we headed back to the beach. It really irritates me when people swim over me only to stand up right in front of me but it's not illegal.
T1: 2:59. No, I was not making cookies. There is a lot of soft sugar sand in Siesta Key. We run through 300yds of it on our way to transition.
Bike: Long run to the bike mount line. Like 45 seconds worth. I still don't have a bike computer and the Garmin 305 literally came apart last week so it was another "race by feel" day. We started into the wind which made the start of the bike tough. My right quad just burned for the first 35 minutes. It was mad, mad, mad and would not get with the program. My focus was to pedal hard for a count of 4, recover to a count of 8, repeat. Eventually I found a steady rhythm. This is not a very big race so there was a fair amount of alone time. Not many other competitors to chase. Made it difficult to ride hard because I like having bunnies to chase. The wind was steady and the course runs mostly north-south so I took advantage of any and all tail wind sections.
The roads are open for this race. The locals are friendly and the cops did a good job of keeping the major intersections open. However, as more and more locals got on the roads, things got dicey. My last trip through their restaurant district found me caught behind 2 big SUVs. They were too scared to pass one of the sprint tri athletes on a big beach cruiser, however, they were blocking the lane. The only way around them was to cross the double yellow into possible oncoming traffic The guy next to me chose to risk the DQ. I chose to wait. In the end, it was maybe a minute lost. Frustrating, yet, but nothing anyone could do. I did catch Line Crossing Guy only to have him attempt a flying dismount. We were down to one narrow lane and the guy is smack in the middle swerving left and right, won't get out of the way even though I said "I'm right behind you". Another few seconds lost and a lesson learned: if passing someone near the end will give you a clear dismount area, do it. This is a two loop course and my loop times were almost identical 40:44 vs 40:55.
T2: 1:31. This took a long time because SPACE HOG BOYS DESTROYED MY TRANSITION AREA. Their wetsuit on top of my towel, where my shoes should have been. My shoes were scattered. My hat kicked to the other side of the rack. Oooooooo, I was crabby!
Run: We weave our way out to the road using a trail of hard packed sand. My angry brain had trouble with the turns but they had volunteers everywhere. I ran to the beat of my two breath rhythm. Stayed in that zone for the first 3 miles the see what's left. This worked out well at St. Anthony's and it worked even better here. Started out with a 9:49, dropped down to the 9:30s for the middle miles. At mile 4 it was time to suffer. No need to finish to finish comfortably. A PR, even by a few seconds, would be worth it. The last mile was particularly tough but I thought about a different crazy tri friend each minute, especially the ones that have overcome big injures to race. At the mile 6 marker it was so close to a PR time that thinking took up valuable energy. Just run with whatever was left in the tank.
Course notes:
- If you are a swimmer who needs lots of bouys to feel comfortable, this is not your race.
- Bikers and runners share the same sidewalk and bike lane next to an open road. Sure, runners are supposed to stay on the sidewalk but there is not enough room. This could be come a problem if the race gets much bigger.
Nutrition summary
Breakfast - a banana and cheese stick and the weakest coffee made in hotel room
Pre-race - a few lava salts but nothing because, unlike St. As, there wasn't a long wait for my wave to start
Bike - bag of GU chomps (~180 calories), not bad but I prefer to use sports drink, 4 lava salts
Run - hammergel taken at first water stop, Took a glass of water at 3 points, no water after the 1/2 way mark.
Age group 6 of 9
Total time-3:03:11
Swim (no wetsuit) 38:25
T1 (long run) 2:59
Bike (26 miles) 1:21:45
T2 1:31
Run: 58:33
Great race. Well run with great goodie bag schwag. A little dicey on the open roads for the second lap of the bike which cost me a minute or so but such is life. PR by a few seconds. Beat my bike and run paces from St. A's on a pretty windy day. Even my swim time was good because FIT was not wetsuit legal. My favorite: 58:33 for a 10K after a 26 mile bike? Hell yeah!
Long version with details to remember:
This race sprinkled age groups through out the racks. I was the only girl in my section. The guys next to me were space hogs. They insisted on setting up next to me instead of alternating sides. Probably two pillowcases worth of space each. WTF, I can set up my transition on a dish towel for heavens sake.
The weather forecast had promised light winds on race day but Madame Pele had other ideas. Standing on the beach, the locals muttered about how rough the water looked. And it was. Big swell past the sand bar. Substantial current that would be in our face for half the swim. 80F water means no wetsuits. Suck it up buttercup.
Swim: There were only a few dozen in the "Women under 40" wave. I made it around the first 2 zigs and headed around for the zag, a half mile swim into the wind/wave/current cocktail. The pack seemed to have trouble following the course in the swell so I took off on my own. If they want to swim to Cuba, that's fine but I'm heading for that big red bouy. At first I felt nervous about swimming alone but I finally stopped fighting the water. When the wave lifted me up for a peek at the course, I would site. Otherwise, I simply put my head down and swam. Focused on body rotation and keeping my hands at 10 and 2. The water became crowded as we headed back to the beach. It really irritates me when people swim over me only to stand up right in front of me but it's not illegal.
T1: 2:59. No, I was not making cookies. There is a lot of soft sugar sand in Siesta Key. We run through 300yds of it on our way to transition.
Bike: Long run to the bike mount line. Like 45 seconds worth. I still don't have a bike computer and the Garmin 305 literally came apart last week so it was another "race by feel" day. We started into the wind which made the start of the bike tough. My right quad just burned for the first 35 minutes. It was mad, mad, mad and would not get with the program. My focus was to pedal hard for a count of 4, recover to a count of 8, repeat. Eventually I found a steady rhythm. This is not a very big race so there was a fair amount of alone time. Not many other competitors to chase. Made it difficult to ride hard because I like having bunnies to chase. The wind was steady and the course runs mostly north-south so I took advantage of any and all tail wind sections.
The roads are open for this race. The locals are friendly and the cops did a good job of keeping the major intersections open. However, as more and more locals got on the roads, things got dicey. My last trip through their restaurant district found me caught behind 2 big SUVs. They were too scared to pass one of the sprint tri athletes on a big beach cruiser, however, they were blocking the lane. The only way around them was to cross the double yellow into possible oncoming traffic The guy next to me chose to risk the DQ. I chose to wait. In the end, it was maybe a minute lost. Frustrating, yet, but nothing anyone could do. I did catch Line Crossing Guy only to have him attempt a flying dismount. We were down to one narrow lane and the guy is smack in the middle swerving left and right, won't get out of the way even though I said "I'm right behind you". Another few seconds lost and a lesson learned: if passing someone near the end will give you a clear dismount area, do it. This is a two loop course and my loop times were almost identical 40:44 vs 40:55.
T2: 1:31. This took a long time because SPACE HOG BOYS DESTROYED MY TRANSITION AREA. Their wetsuit on top of my towel, where my shoes should have been. My shoes were scattered. My hat kicked to the other side of the rack. Oooooooo, I was crabby!
Run: We weave our way out to the road using a trail of hard packed sand. My angry brain had trouble with the turns but they had volunteers everywhere. I ran to the beat of my two breath rhythm. Stayed in that zone for the first 3 miles the see what's left. This worked out well at St. Anthony's and it worked even better here. Started out with a 9:49, dropped down to the 9:30s for the middle miles. At mile 4 it was time to suffer. No need to finish to finish comfortably. A PR, even by a few seconds, would be worth it. The last mile was particularly tough but I thought about a different crazy tri friend each minute, especially the ones that have overcome big injures to race. At the mile 6 marker it was so close to a PR time that thinking took up valuable energy. Just run with whatever was left in the tank.
Course notes:
- If you are a swimmer who needs lots of bouys to feel comfortable, this is not your race.
- Bikers and runners share the same sidewalk and bike lane next to an open road. Sure, runners are supposed to stay on the sidewalk but there is not enough room. This could be come a problem if the race gets much bigger.
Nutrition summary
Breakfast - a banana and cheese stick and the weakest coffee made in hotel room
Pre-race - a few lava salts but nothing because, unlike St. As, there wasn't a long wait for my wave to start
Bike - bag of GU chomps (~180 calories), not bad but I prefer to use sports drink, 4 lava salts
Run - hammergel taken at first water stop, Took a glass of water at 3 points, no water after the 1/2 way mark.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Wednesday Morning Group Ride
No one told me Wednesday was the designated psycho day for the morning rides. Ouch. I'm beyond tired right now.
Progress was made even if it didn't look or feel like progress. Today progress was desperately clinging to the wheel of the guy in the Credit Agricole kit, praying he didn't ride any faster because I'm about to explode. He obviously sensed this and responded by "letting" me pull for a while. Roadies are sick bastards. ;) Made it about a minute on the front before it was all over. But it was a good ride. Over coffee (because our roadies always end the ride at the coffee shop) they invited me to the 22-24mph ride on Tues and Thurs. I told them I didn't think I could keep up. They responded "what do you think you were riding today?" Well, my Garmin 305 literally came apart during the ride. Apparently we were riding faster than I thought.
Rides like this will bring back my bike speed in no time.
Progress was made even if it didn't look or feel like progress. Today progress was desperately clinging to the wheel of the guy in the Credit Agricole kit, praying he didn't ride any faster because I'm about to explode. He obviously sensed this and responded by "letting" me pull for a while. Roadies are sick bastards. ;) Made it about a minute on the front before it was all over. But it was a good ride. Over coffee (because our roadies always end the ride at the coffee shop) they invited me to the 22-24mph ride on Tues and Thurs. I told them I didn't think I could keep up. They responded "what do you think you were riding today?" Well, my Garmin 305 literally came apart during the ride. Apparently we were riding faster than I thought.
Rides like this will bring back my bike speed in no time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)