MCM: the rematch.

This time, I won !

I'm writing this blog post quickly, as Hurricane Sandy is intensifying outside and I don't expect to have power much longer. But I'm not worried, as the major challenge of this week is over: Marine Corps Marathon 2012!

Those of you who have been here from the beginning know that I started this blog to document my training for MCM 2010... and that it didn't go so well. Anything that could have gone wrong in that training did (remember the appendicitis?), and the actual race day was one of the hardest of my life. (You can read all about it here,) During that race, I was 100% sure that I would never run a marathon again. My time was 6:10:03.

Then, on a lark, I entered the NYC marathon lottery in 2011. Against all odds (seriously, about 95 to 1), I got in. My 2011 training went way better than 2010, and the NYC marathon was one of the best days of my life. The only hiccup in that race was some stomach trouble, probably caused by poor food choices the night before. I went into that race hoping to come in under 5 hours, but wound up making something like 8 bathroom stops in the first half of the race. My final time was 5:31:05.

New York taught me that I am actually capable of running a marathon, but I was still a bit intimidated by MCM. My first experience was bad enough to give me a mental block against that race. In 2012, though, I decided to push through that and run it again.

Most of you know what happened after that. The story of my 2012 racing season is that I set a very ambitious training and race schedule, which almost immediately got derailed by major life events, most notably a new job and a wedding to plan. This year's combo of less training plus some weight gain has resulted in some of my slowest times ever. It also meant feeling like was I essentially "crashing" the year's major events.

By August of this year, I was so far behind in my MCM training that I seriously considered deferring to 2013. (Read about that decision here.) When I decided to go ahead, I jumped into a month of crash-training: ramping my long runs up from 10 miles to 20 during September. I got through that training, as well as the Metric Marathon (16.3 miles) and Baltimore Half, but I was still nervous about attempting the full distance.

As race weekend approached, my nervousness was amplified by a little event they're calling Hurricane Sandy. Over the past week, my fellow racers and I watched in horror as the previously predicted race forecast of sunny and 60 degrees morphed into soaking rain and 20-30mph wind gusts. On Saturday, I saw this image several times in my Facebook newsfeed:

For about the millionth time, I considered bailing. I kept thinking "I've run a marathon before. Heck, I've run this marathon before. What is the point of running it in a hurricane?" I decided to get up Sunday morning and let the conditions decide for me.

So, Sunday morning came. A little cloudy and a little drizzly, but not too bad. Game on. Andrew and I went to the Metro and began the long journey to the start line. First, a ride on a couple of packed trains. Then, a long slog around the Pentagon to the start area, where I quickly found my Striders' buddy, Noreen. Finally, another walk into the packed corrals with 30,000 or so other crazy people:

Can you find me? 

In 2010, it took me close to 40 minutes to get across the start line. This year, is was only 17. I started the race with Noreen and some of her friends, but fell back around mile 3. My strategy for this race was to stay at a 12-minute/mile pace. That's a little slower than I naturally run, so I planned to walk every 10 minutes if necessary, just to keep the pace down. For the first 9 miles, I paced it perfectly, without walk breaks. I literally hit mile 9 at 108 minutes.

Then, nature called. I started needing a bathroom break around mile 3, but I held off as long as I could because of long lines. When we came into Georgetown, I knew I couldn't wait much longer and the lines weren't too bad. I stopped and then sped up a bit, taking advantage of the great crowd support to try to make up for lost time. By mile 10, though, I was 4 minutes behind and I never got those minutes back.

At mile 11, I saw Andrew for the first time. I was feeling good and the weather had held out, so I gave him my jacket and hat and ran away feeling much lighter.

Bye, rain gear! 

I was really happy to see Andrew at 11, as I was approaching what I knew would be the biggest mental test of the race. Miles 11-20 were where everything fell apart for me in 2010. Would it happen again?

I hit mile 13 more aware than usual of pain in my feet and legs. I was carrying two Advil, which I usually save for the final third of a long race, but I went ahead and took them. Then, I continued through the dreaded, desolate Hain's Point section of the race. This was where things really collapsed in 2010, but I made it through this time with no problems. As I passed the mile 15 marker, I felt a huge wave of relief: I was done with Hain's Point, and I knew I would see Andrew soon!

I met up with Andrew again at mile 16. I had asked him to carry an extra pair of shoes with him in case of rain. By that point, I hadn't felt so much as a drop, but my feet were hurting. So, I switched out of my new Brooks shoes and into my trusted old Nikes. Instant relief! I don't know if it was the shoes themselves, or just the change, but I will do this again in future races!

Mile 16! 

Miles 16-20 are a particularly scenic, crowd-heavy portion of the race. In 2010, I was in so much pain that I literally noticed nothing. This year, I was able to take it all in and enjoy it. Approaching mile 20, a women's drumming group was cheering people onto the dreaded "Bridge" (back into VA) and I felt ecstatic passing them...

...and then came the bridge itself. The actual "bridge" portion is rather short, and it leads onto a long stretch of highway overpass. In just a few minutes, the race changes from monuments and huge crowds to diesel fumes and hurting, lonely runners. Andrew actually walked a portion of it himself while heading to his next stop. He snapped this photo and told me later "That bridge really does suck."

Slogging toward Crystal City. 

Miles 20-22 were rough. The accumulated fatigue of the race really set in, with no scenery or crowds for distraction. I just pushed ahead for Crystal City, where I knew I would see spectators again, along with my coaches and Andrew at the Annapolis Striders water stop.

I hit 22, and there they were! My coach Susan, who had seen me when I was a complete mess in 2010, took one look at me and said "Better this time, huh?" I gave Andrew a quick kiss, but didn't hang around. Instead, I told him "Not stopping. I need to finish this f'ing thing."

I continued through Crystal City, where the course was a little different this year. In previous years, the Crystal City section was an out-an-back loop through downtown. This year, they changed it to a wider loop around the area, eliminating the out-and-back. I preferred it the old way. The back half of this year's loop basically ran along the highway, with no spectators at all. I really missed the crowd support.

We exited Crystal City just before mile 24 and headed for the finish. This is another less-than-scenic portion of the race, so I just put my head down and tried to get it done. By this point, I was having trouble hanging onto to even a 12-minute pace. Dreams of finishing in 5:20 were past, but I knew I could make it under 5:30 if I just kept pushing. When I hit mile 26, I immediately started choking up. I had made it! I pulled out a little sprint and crossed the line at 5:28:24.

A new feature this year: in lieu of space blankets, a "Mission Accomplished" jacket. 

After chatting with some friends at the finish festival, Andrew and I made the l-o-n-g trek back home. We stopped en route for probably the best Mexican lunch I've ever eaten. Once we got home, we started to really focus on the weather forecasts. Both of our offices officially closed, which was a huge relief. Through some kind of brain lapse, I had scheduled myself an 11-hour day on Monday. I have no idea how I would have accomplished that, as I can barely move right now! Still, I feel amazing. My MCM rematch was a success! My only disappointment comes when I think about NYC in 2011. I was in great shape then, and now I realize just how well I could have done if I hadn't had the bathroom issues. Oh well.

Now, I have to decide if I want to go for best 2 out of 3...

Bittersweet Baltimore.

My 3rd Baltimore Half medal!

Some countdowns for you: 68 days until my wedding. 3 1/2 days until the Marine Corps Marathon (gulp!). At least 14 days since I last went grocery shopping and a good 7 days since I pretty much ran out of food at home. 14 days since my last blog post, and 10 days since my last race. Things are getting pretty crazy over here, but I want to take a minute to tell you about that last race: the 2012 Baltimore Half-Marathon.

The Baltimore Half is one of my favorite races of the year. Last year's race was the site of my still-standing half-marathon PR. This year, I knew I wouldn't be nearly as fast, but the race was a milestone for another reason: it was Andrew's first half!

This year, for the first time, I stayed in downtown Baltimore the night before the race. I had a work event in town the night before, which was the only reason I could justify the expense. I probably won't do it again, but it was very nice to start the morning at a reasonable hour (about 7AM) mere blocks from the start line rather than at 5AM a long car ride, a crowded Light Rail trip AND a few blocks from the start line. Also, we had the excitement of seeing the marathoners (who start early) from our hotel window:

These people have a long, hilly day ahead of them! 

Aside from the expense, there's another reason I may not stay over the night before again: I made a packing mistake. A big one. I forgot my shoes. How does this happen to an experienced racer, you ask? See the countdowns above. Mercifully, I realized this mistake en route to the expo, as opposed to the morning of the race. None of the vendors were selling my usual Nikes, but I was able to explain my situation to one of the guys from Charm City Run, and he directed me to a similar Brooks shoe. Running a half in totally new shoes? Not the best plan, but still way better than crying by the side of the start or trying out barefoot running on race day!

For my 3rd time in 3 years of running Baltimore, we had perfect weather on race day. Sunny and a little cool. Just before my wave started, I repeated the advice I had been drilling into Andrew for weeks: run the first 10 miles easy, and then push it for the last 3.1 if you still have something left in the tank. Apparently, all of that repetition really sunk in... for me. For probably the first time in all my races, I paced this one perfectly.

I went out neither too fast nor too slow and I stayed at that pace (give or take a few seconds) for the first 10 miles. It was a little tough around miles 5-7, but it mostly flew by. I took it easy, enjoyed the scenery, and chatted with a few Striders I met along the way. Then, I hit mile 10 and felt great. I looked at my watch and knew this race was going to be one of my slowest half times. In fact, I risked coming in over 2:30, something I've only done twice and both times under crazy circumstances (110-degree heat and recent surgery). I could avoid hitting 2:30 if I ran the last 3.1 miles at just a hair above 5K pace. Challenging, but I decided to give it a shot. I sped up to a pace over 1 1/2 minutes/mile faster than I had been running and literally raced to the finish... and I made it! I sprinted into Camden Yards and crossed the finish line at 2:28:18. It was my 3rd slowest half time, but I felt like I had won.

Once I finished, it was time to think about Andrew. I was tracking him on my phone, so I knew he made the half-way point and was projected to finish about 10 minutes behind me. So, I rushed through the crazy, packed finish area and stationed myself at the finish line. A few minutes later, I saw him- and he was smiling! He looked thrilled as he crossed the finish line. I was too far back to get pictures, but Andrew's Dad and brother captured a few along the course. Here is Andrew, looking strong at mile 12:

I agree with that sign. :)

 
A few minutes later, I met up with Andrew and learned that he also had a great race! He finished well under his goal time and is actually ready to sign up for another half.

A medal and a space blanket: he's legit now! 

After the race, our whirlwind weekend continued with a lovely bridal shower thrown by my sister. Here we are opening gifts with my niece:

Andrew is making his "I'm talking to a kid" face.

This is where the "bittersweet" portion of the weekend comes in. During the shower, we learned that Andrew's last remaining grandparent, his 93 year-old grandmother, had died. I only met Andrew's grandmother once, but she was a remarkable lady. She got a Master's degree at a time when many women didn't graduate high school, overcame some major hurdles to marry Andrew's grandfather, served as a pastor's wife for many years in PA coal country, and then spent over 30 years as a single mother and grandmother after her husband died. When Andrew was 14, she took him to Alaska by herself! Andrew has always appreciated my independence and active life, and I think I know why! His grandmother will certainly be missed, but I think he honored her by doing something active and adventurous on her last day with us.

Two rainy races and marathon training.

Its October, which means that its officially crazy time for both fall races and wedding planning (83 days to go!). So, this post is a catch-all: a long-overdue report on the A10, a recap of this past weekend's Metric Marathon, and a quick update on my fall marathon training.

The A-10.

The night before.

As previously noted in this blog, I've had a bit of a curse going with the Annapolis 10-mile run, better known as the A10. The A10 is an iconic Annapolis event, and something I dreamed of running for about 10 years before I was fit enough to do it. I finally entered for the first time in 2010. Two nights before? Emergency appendectomy. In 2011, I entered again. Three nights before? Race called off due to a hurricane. So, that's about $120 in non-refundable entry fees and two years of buildup with no actual race to show for it.

I might have sworn off the A10, had it not been for Andrew. He and I went on our first date the very night of the cancelled 2011 A10. The next day, I told some friends "I met someone awesome last night. Maybe he'll break my A10 curse!" At that point, my wildest dream was that I would still be dating him when the 2012 A10 rolled around, and that he would cheer for me as I crossed the finish line. I never imagined that I would be engaged to him and he would also run the race!

The morning of this year's A10, it looked like we might be in trouble again. We drove to the start in the middle of a thunderstorm, with lightning and soaking rain. Not again! Fortunately, the storm abated just as the starting gun went off... for about 10 minutes. Just as I spotted the mile 2 marker (and took off my rain jacket), the sky opened up and it started POURING. I didn't mind being cold and wet, but pretty soon, I was having visibility issues. The rain was actually getting under my contacts, knocking my visibility down to about 6 inches. Naturally, I didn't have a hat, but I did have sunglasses. I put them on, and saw an instant improvement. For the record, foggy sunglasses are way better than wet contacts!

The rain lasted probably 20 minutes- just long enough for me to give a grateful thumbs-up to my hearty future brother-in-law, who stood in a poncho at the bottom of Main Street to cheer for us! Ultimately, the rain was probably a blessing. It held off the notorious A10 heat for a good hour. I didn't start to feel uncomfortably hot until about mile 8. By that time, I was already on my second trip over the dreaded Naval Academy bridge and headed for the finish. I crossed the line at 1:50:17. That's a slow 10-mile time for me, but I felt great for the whole race, so I wasn't complaining.

Then came the best part: watching Andrew finish! He had a rough time in training, and was worried that the race would take 2 1/2 hours. I was worried that he would be miserable the whole time. Instead, he finished in 2:09:51 and felt great! In fact, he felt so great that he signed up for his first half-marathon. I was so proud of him that I actually got a little choked up when he crossed the finish line.

Finishers! Next stop: Baltimore Half! 

The Metric Marathon. 

This past Sunday, I ran another rainy race: the Striders' Metric Marathon. This 26.2K/16.3 mile race is the longest of the Striders' Champ Series, and it has not been a great race for me in the past. In 2010, I ran it with a miserable cold and spent the first half trying not to throw up and/or drop out. In 2011, I ran it in miserably cold weather (45 degrees and drizzling) and went out way too fast, making for a very painful finish. Given those two experiences, I was not excited about this year's race, but I knew I had to do it in order to get my 2012 IronMan award.

In true Metric Marathon fashion, I awoke on Sunday to less-than-ideal conditions. The day before: a cool, crisp 65-70 degrees. Race morning? 55 degrees and raining. Not drizzling, but raining. The rain and cold accompanied me for most of the race. Fortunately, so did my friend Mike. I met Mike when he started joining my running buddy Val at Striders events in 2011. That year, we were both feeling pretty fast, but Mike was faster than me. This year, we've both had some training issues and slowed down to about the same pace. We ran pretty much the entire race together. I like having company in any race, but I really appreciate it in the Metric, which is both challenging and so small that you can easily go a couple miles without seeing another runner. My 3:08:54 finish was nothing to write home about, but it was better than 2010 and WAY better than I expected.

As an added bonus, Andrew volunteered at a water stop along the course. It was great to get a little boost and some sympathy about the rain!

Marathon training. 

I haven't written much (or anything really) about my marathon training for this fall. That's mainly because I haven't been training. Between work, wedding prep, and life in general, I somehow got to early September having run no longer than 10 miles all summer. According to my training plan, I should have been doing regular 16-milers by then, with two 20-milers thrown in. Oops.

The deferral deadline for the Marine Corps Marathon was August 31st, and I strongly considered deferring. The only things that kept me from making that decision were sheer stubbornness and our save-the-date cards. What do save-the-date cards have to do with running a marathon? I'll show you:

What was I thinking? 

In case you can't tell, that's Andrew and I holding up New Year's resolution signs, in honor of our New Year's Eve wedding. And what's the second-to-last resolution on mine? Run the Marine Corps Marathon. So, I could have deferred, but then I would have had to face my failure staring back at me from every refrigerator at a close friend or family member's house.

So, I made a plan. I would join the Striders' marathon training group for every long run in September (after IG Rocky Gap) and try to build up to 20 miles before October. If I could complete an 18-20 mile run somewhere in there without collapsing or being in horrible pain, I would run Marine Corps. If not, I would bow out gracefully.

For better or worse, I did it! I ran 14 miles on 9/15, 18 on 9/22, and then 20 on 9/29. They were not fast or easy runs, but I made it! Between those runs and my better-than-expected performance at the Metric Marathon on Sunday, I'm actually feeling okay about Marine Corps. I doubt it will be a fast race, but I believe it will be do-able and maybe even a little fun. (But I'll settle for do-able.)

Members of the month!

Hey- that's us! 

A couple weeks ago, Andrew and I got some good news and some less-good news. The less-good news was that our TRX instructor Kelly is leaving our gym to take an awesome new job (I'm not calling it bad news, because its great for her!). The good news is that (a) she's continuing to teach our TRX class for at least a few more months, and (b) as one of her final acts at the gym, she nominated Andrew and I to be members of the month!

We're thrilled about this for the obvious reason- it feels great to have our efforts recognized. But we're also thrilled because we love our gym as much as our gym loves us!

I bought my house in Eastport in 2003. That same year, Annapolis Athletic Club opened up its doors a mere 60-second walk from my own. For the next 6 years, I constantly heard great things about AAC and I thought about joining, but I was always turned away by the price. I'm not going to say how much it costs, but it is one of the more expensive gyms in the area. As a graduate student turned therapist-paying-off-grad-school, I could not imagine forking over what they were asking each month.

For those same 6 years, I also exercised... sometimes. When I was at Yale, I would manage to use the (amazing) Yale gym about twice a week. It was about two miles from my house- a 10-minute drive or 30-minute walk- and that was far enough to make excuses not to go. I signed up for fitness classes and always dropped out. I did exercise DVDs or ran from home, but often made excuses to skip those activities too. I doubted my ability to stick to any kind of exercise consistently.

Then, in the 2009-2010 academic year, I signed up for a very intense schedule of full-time work, classes, and a 20-hour/week internship doing grief counseling. As a bonus, those 20 hours included one 8-hour shift guiding people through the decedent identification process at the DC morgue (you can read about that here). I spent the summer leading  up to that trying to mentally prepare myself for the intense schedule and emotional work. Then, in late July, less than one month out from the start of my crazy year, I got dumped. Suddenly and painfully.

In the first two weeks after the breakup, I thought "What am I going to do now? How am I going to survive this and help people when I'm a total mess?" And that's when I re-considered AAC. I knew I needed to do something to focus on myself and relieve my stress. I also found a new way to think about the cost: I added up what I used to spend on my relationship. I thought about gas to visit him, meals I paid for, and presents I bought him. I realized I probably spent twice as much on my relationship as I would on the gym. So, it was decided: the gym would be my new boyfriend.

I joined AAC in August 2009 and I knew I wanted to do group classes. I soon realized that the only classes which fit my schedule were at 6am. As someone who once struggled to get up for 10am classes, this worried me, but I decided to give it a go. Soon, I was hooked. I realized what had been missing from all of my previous exercise attempts: other people! I am a people person, and I am more motivated by relationships than anything else. The people in the 6am classes were nice, and fun, and they noticed me pretty quickly. Once I felt like I knew them, those relationships motivated me to keep showing up. Now, 3 years later, I consider many of those people true friends.

Naturally, when Andrew moved to Annapolis, I wanted him to be part of my gym community too. I didn't want to pressure him, so I just invited him to take a few classes as a guest and see what he thought. I never imagined that he would become so committed so quickly! The progress he has made is amazing and I couldn't be more proud.

Read our full story here, on the gym website!

IronGirl #2!

A chilly race morning with my fellow Wonder Women, Christin and Linda! 

About 3 weeks ago, I crossed the finish line at IronGirl Columbia thinking "Whew, I made it!" My next thought? "And I'm doing it again in less than a month!" 

This year's IronGirl Columbia sold out so fast that it actually crashed the race organizer's website for 3 days. Given this "unprecedented popularity," the organizers decided to sponsor a second race: the inaugural IronGirl Rocky Gap at Rocky Gap state park in Western Maryland. They billed it as a "girl's getaway" weekend and warned that it would sell out quickly. It sounded like a nice weekend away, so I signed up the day registration opened. 

As it turns out, the organizers were correct about the nice weekend, but way off-base regarding the potential for a sell-out. For whatever reason, women were not scrambling to sign up for this race and it wound up being pretty small: 425 finishers. Columbia had over 1600. Given the low turn-out and the fact that this was an inaugural event, I had concerns. Would it be a disorganized, never-to-be-repeated mess? 

I should have trusted the very experienced people at the Columbia Triathlon Association. This was a great race! Here's the rundown: 

The Location

The race took place at Rocky Gap Lodge and Resort, which is located inside Rocky Gap state park in the mountains of western MD. Despite the low turn-out, the Resort sold out months before the race and long before I had thought about my own arrangements. Fortunately, one of my Wonder Women training buddies came to the rescue! She had experience in the hotel industry and knew just what to say on the phone to get myself and another WW friend amazing rooms at a great discount. 

Andrew and I arrived Saturday afternoon and we were thrilled with everything. The park was beautiful, the resort was fabulous, our room was HUGE and came with a late check-out for race day. And the best part? The transition and race start were basically on the lawn of the resort. No need to get up at 3AM on race day and take a shuttle or hunt for parking. We checked in at the tiny expo and WALKED to the bike racking. 

My equipment MAN-ager.

I got a few strange looks racking my bike in a fancy dress. It wasn't race day! 

After racking, we met up with my Wonder Women buddies Linda and Christin (the hotel fairy) and went out for dinner and some last-minute forgotten item shopping. We also picked up some sweatshirts because it was cold! Linda and Christin had attended the pre-race course talk and delivered some wonderful news to me: "The race director says that the bike course is easier than Columbia." 

The next morning, we got up at 5:30, which is amazingly late by triathlon standards, had some breakfast in the resort, and WALKED to the race start. The rest of the day could have been a disaster after that, and I still would have loved this race. 

The Swim

Morning fog over the lake. 

Race morning was very chilly (only in the 50's), but the announcer assured us that the water temperature was still in the 80's. So, for once, I was actually looking forward to getting in the water in order to warm up! With a smaller race, the swim waves went much faster and they re-arranged the order from Columbia so I was in wave #3. I was excited to start in an earlier wave, but worried that my earlier start would mean being swam over by faster racers behind me. 

I needn't have worried. Given that we were a small race in the middle of a big lake, it felt like everyone had plenty of room. My swim did not go quite as well as IronGirl Columbia, but it was pleasant enough and I finished the .5 mile course in 28:23 (ranking-wise, my weakest showing of the day). 

Transitions

For the first time in a tri, I really had to go to the bathroom between race legs. For reasons beyond my comprehension, race organizers never put port-a-potties anywhere near transition. So, I had to go out of my way and wound up with a 7-minute T1. T2 was better, at 2:54, but nowhere near as quick as the sub 2-minutes I have managed in the past. 

The Bike

Smiling because I have no idea what's coming. 

After the swim, I hopped on my bike and quickly realized that whomever gave the course talk was a big fat liar. No more than 5 minutes after mounting my bike, I was huffing and puffing up a huge hill... and then another... and another. Around minute 15, I started to worry that I might have to drop out of the race. So. Many. Hills. Naturally, as soon as I considered quitting, things got a little easier. The uphills continued, but they got a little less steep and there were more downhills for building up momentum. Still, I have no idea why someone would suggest the course was easier than Columbia. Maybe because it was 1.5 miles shorter?

 The bike course was an out-and-back, and the only real inaugural race hiccup happened at the turnaround. In IG Columbia, the turnaround happens in a nice, big middle school parking lot. There's an aid station, a bathroom, a bike repair crew, and plenty of room to stop if you need to. The Rocky Gap turnaround was literally in the middle of a narrow street at the bottom of a steep hill. As I approached, I saw flares and a line of volunteers yelling "Slow down and downshift!" The next thing I knew, I was riding into an absolute clusterf* of riders trying to navigate the sharp turn without falling and/or crashing into the people who had stopped to use the mid-road "aid station." 

I could have used a gel break, but I didn't even think about stopping. Instead, I eased my way through the turn and- with no momentum at all- started struggling through the steep climb ahead. Behind me, I heard several screams as someone wiped out. Later, I chatted with other racers and learned that "wipeout" was pretty much the theme for that turnaround. I hope they find a better place next year!

The return leg of the bike course was challenging, but felt more manageable simply because I knew what was coming. In the end, I covered 16 miles in 1:20. Ranking-wise, that's still a weak showing, but it was a slight improvement over my IG Columbia performance. 

The Run

I don't have any photos of the run (yet) because I over-estimated how long the bike course would take. This meant Andrew missed my bike in and run out, and didn't catch me again until after I finished. The run was by far my favorite leg of the race and my strongest showing of the day. Compared to IG Columbia, it felt SO EASY! It was only 3 miles, as opposed to 3.4, and the hills were minimal. In fact, it felt like the overall trend was flat-to-downhill. I still had to deal with the post-bike "jelly legs" feeling in mile 1, but I felt great in miles 2 and 3. I felt even better when I sprinted across the finish line having finished my first tri run with zero walk breaks! My time for the run was 33:24. Ranking-wise, that was a middle-of-the-pack finish and over 100 places better than my back-of-the-pack swim and bike times. My overall time was a much-better-than-expected 2:32:03. 

Finished! 

Post-Race

After the race, I really experienced the benefits of the small turnout. Rather than a zoo of people and long lines, the finish festival was basically a little picnic by the lake. I found my friends easily and had plenty of time to chat and grab whatever tasty food I wanted. After comparing races with Linda and Christin, Andrew and I headed back to the huge room where we took full advantage of the late check-out (read: long showers and ample time to sort gear and pack). As we were walking back to the hotel, we heard the race announcer give the date for next year's Rocky Gap and we both agreed that we will be back! 

August catch-up post #2: IronGirl Columbia.

Is this the gun show? 

For my second of three August catch-up posts: a race recap of the 2012 IronGirl Columbia triathlon!

I signed up for my second IronGirl on the morning after the 2011 NYC marathon. At that point, I was at the height of a great year of racing and looking forward to the next year. A few weeks later, IronGirl announced a new event: a second women's tri, in September, at a resort in western MD. At that point, I was still looking forward to 2012 as a big racing year, so I didn't hesitate to sign up for IronGirl#2! A couple months later, I signed up for the 2012 Marine Corps Marathon.

I think we all know what happened after that. To my great surprise, 2012 changed from "year of big races" to "year I get married." Except, of course, all those races are still on my schedule. My training is WAY behind, so I approached IronGirl Columbia with dread. I expected it to be a fiasco. At best, I thought I would feel awful by about mid-way through the bike leg. At worst, I thought I might not finish. In the days leading up to the race, I told all my friends that it would be a disaster and I meant it.

Now, I am happy to report that my fears were exaggerated. My 2012 race was definitely slower than 2011, but I actually felt better.  Here's the rundown:

The Swim

If you look closely, you can see me chatting with my friend Andrea before wading in! 

Whatever swimming magic came over me during the dress rehearsal in July, it continued on race day. I stunned myself by freestyling the whole thing! I have no idea how I managed this. My hunch is that it was a combination of TRX (which has strengthened all my swimming muscles) and slowing down. Usually, I switch to backstroke when I need to catch my breath. This time, I kept the pace down and never had to catch my breath. I came in over 3 minutes slower than last year (37:44 vs. 34:24), but I was still ecstatic.

Transitions

Transitions are the one area of triathlon where I usually make it out from the back of the pack. Being a type-A super-organizer comes in really handy at transition time! This time, though, I was trying some new things: bike shoes and a Camelbak for the bike leg. I didn't take the time to practice those things, and getting it all together took a bit longer than it should have. I'll be more ready next year.

The Bike

Smiling because I haven't fallen off! 

Last year, I was most afraid of the swim leg of IG. This year, all of that anxiety transferred to the bike. As in any triathlon, the bike leg of IG is more than half the race. The IG bike course is also hilly and HARD. I knew I had not trained for it, and I was afraid that I would fall apart on the first hill. Adding to my anxiety was my new clipless pedals. I started using them a few weeks before the race because they help on hills, but I am still getting used to clipping in and clipping out... and, by "still getting used to," I mean "still falling off my bike on most rides." In the final weeks before the race, I made a strategy for avoiding wipeouts during the race, and I practiced it successfully, but I was still worried. What if I fell off in front of all the spectators during the mount or the dismount? Even worse, what if I fell off on the course and caused other riders to fall?

Thankfully, my "no wipeout" strategy worked. In a nutshell, I avoided clipping in until I was very secure on the bike, and I clipped out long before I needed to stop. I am also happy to report that, in addition to not falling off, I also did not fall apart. The hills were challenging, but I made it. In fact, I think I did about as well as last year. My overall time was a little slower (1:31 vs. 1:26), but I think the extra 5 minutes came from a bathroom break I didn't take last year. One improvement over last year was my hydration. Having realized that I am incapable of grabbing a water bottle while riding, I switched to a Camelbak and it worked like a charm!

The Run

Starting my final sprint! 

The run was where I experienced the full disadvantage of being a young and slow swimmer. At IG, the younger athletes enter the water in the latest swim waves. Being in the "30-34/ last name A-L" wave, I was 3rd from last starting the swim. Being a slow swimmer, I exited the water with people from the last leg. Given that I'm a pretty slow biker too, I didn't pass many of those slower swimmers on the bike. So, by the time I got to the run leg, I was among the final racers left on the course.

What happens when you start a run course late? The course is crowded with non-racers just out for a stroll in the park. Also, many of the racers still left on the course are walking. The IG run course is very challenging on its own, without having to weave around people out for a stroll or avoid the temptation to join the walkers all around you. I managed to keep my head in the game for miles 1 and 3, but I lost it a bit in mile 2. There were a lot of hills in that mile, and I did a lot of walking. In the end, I finished a little slower than last year (39:23 vs. 38:57), but my finish was stronger. Last year, I jogged over the line and was immediately seized by stomach cramps. This year, I managed a finishing sprint and felt great!

Overall

My overall time for this race was 2:56:32. Just over 10 minutes slower than last year's 2:46:22. I'm always disappointed when I see a slower race result, but given the fact that I was expecting a disaster, I have to be happy with that. After the race, I caught up with the many friends who also did the race this year: several Wonder Women, two high school friends, a college classmate, one of my trainers from the gym, and a Loyola classmate who was there as a cheerleader.

My friend Caitlin and I representing South River High School class of '97! 

As always, this was the best part of the whole event. It feels great to be part of such an active, fit group of friends! One IronGirl down, one to go...

Interlude: active vacation.

True!

I am interrupting my previously-scheduled "August update" posts about IronGirl #1 and the A10 to bring you a report on a short vacation I took with Andrew and his brother this past weekend. Fear not- the IG and A10 stories are coming soon!

Andrew's family has a very long friendship with two ladies who own a summer home and cabin in Mount Desert Island, Maine. Growing up, Andrew spent at least a week there pretty much every summer. I believe it looked something like this:

The O'Briens, ca. the mid-90s.
This is before the addition of Andrew's youngest brother, Marquis. 

As far as I know, Andrew has never missed a Maine trip and he really wanted me to come along this year. I was skeptical, as back-to-school time tends to be VERY busy in the children's mental health world. In the end, though, I agreed to go up for an extended Labor Day weekend. I stayed at the office until 10pm the night before we left, making plans for other therapists to cover the fully 50% of my caseload that is in crisis at the moment. To put it mildly, it was very hard to walk away.

Fortunately, the next few days wiped work right out of my mind. Our flight to Maine didn't leave until 10pm, so we took the opportunity the day before to handle one of our wedding errands:

Licensed to wed! 

I was surprised and pleased that the process of applying for a wedding license at the courthouse is actually quite romantic. Everyone involved took the time to congratulate us and wish us well. I thought that was lovely, considering they see dozens of people apply for licenses every day, and they also see many of these people return some time later to file for divorce. Somehow, optimism reigns at the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court!

A little over 12 hours later, we touched down in Mount Desert Island, ME and met up with Andrew's older brother, Chris. After a long sleep and lazy morning, Chris led us (me, really) on a driving tour of the island. It was foggy and windy, but we still caught some amazing views:

Cadillac Mountain.

"The Bubbles," which Chris hiked the day before we arrived. 

That night, we headed into downtown Bar Harbor for a raucous Maine Friday night:

What happens in Bar Harbor...

The next day, Andrew and I were feeling rested up and ready for some adventures of our own. We started the morning with a 6-mile run along the Island's "carriage roads." These are 55 miles of roads, apparently built by the Rockefellers. Once, they were used for carriages. Now, they are used by hikers, runners, bikers, and horseback riders. No cars, no noise- just soft gravel paths and breathtaking scenery like this:

6 miles hasn't felt that easy in a long, long time. Even Andrew, who usually does a walk-run combo, was able to run almost the entire distance. Sadly, the weather kept us from repeating our run the next day, but I definitely look forward to exploring more of the carriage roads on a future trip.

After the run and lunch, Andrew and I rented canoes to paddle around a huge, beautiful lake. I hadn't canoed since the great triathlon wedding of 2011, so I was very excited to pick up a paddle again. Despite our longish run in the morning, we managed to stay in the boat for over 2 1/2 hours, taking in almost the entire lake and having a great time in the process. As we paddled back to shore, we talked about how grateful we are to be able to have active, adventurous vacations. It makes all the 6am workouts worth it!

The next day, we got a steady, soaking rain all day. So, we traded in adventures for reading and eating:

I suspect we'll see the results of that day (and all of our meals out) on the Weight Watchers scale this week, but it was worth it!

On Labor Day, Chris drove 18 hours (!) to return us to our doorsteps and our jobs. We slept through our alarms the past two days, but this reprieve won't last long: one of us (ahem) has IronGirl #2 this weekend!