Month of Mayhem, part 1: IronGirl Columbia and the A10.

Aloha! I'm writing this from the saddest place on Earth- the airport, leaving Hawaii. Over the past week, Andrew and I celebrated our (belated) honeymoon ran a big race! On Sunday, I ran the (brutal) Kauai marathon and he did the (also challenging) half-marathon.

 

The view from one of our morning runs.

 

I'll write more about Hawaii and the marathon later, but first I should explain that Kauai was leg 3 of what I have dubbed by “month of mayhem.”

What is a month of mayhem? That's what happens when a normally organized person like myself signs up for a bunch of late summer events independently without plotting it all out on a calendar. Then, when she does look at a calendar, she sees this:

Sunday, August 17^th: Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon

Sunday, August 24^th: Annapolis 10-mile run

Sunday, September 1^st: Kauai marathon

Sunday, September 8^th: Iron Girl Rocky Gap Triathlon

Oops. Just in case that wasn't enough fun, I had my little wisdom teeth debacle (see previous post) which nixed a few key training weeks. So, I headed into this month poorly prepared and fairly scared. Fortunately, with three events down, I can say- so far, so good. Here's the report on legs 1 and 2:

IronGirl Columbia

When IG was my first tri in 2011, I was terrified and prepared really well. Two years and four additional tris later, the fear is gone. While its nice to line up at the start without my heart pounding, I could use a little of that fear back as a training motivator! I went into this year's event fairly well prepared for the run, moderately prepared for the swim, and poorly prepared for the bike. Not surprisingly, my race performance corresponded with my preparation (or lack thereof) in each area.

 

No fear here!

 

I posted a better swim time this year compared to last year, but felt like I struggled more. I just couldn't hold the proper form, which meant I had to work way harder than I should have. The good news, though, was that I never had a moment of feeling afraid or like I might not be able to finish. Having experienced that feeling in pretty much every other tri I've ever done, it was a relief to have some confidence!

 

Forcing a smile for the camera.

On to the bike! This year's bike course was pretty different from previous years. Going in, I had some vague hope that “different” might mean “easier.” That hope was promptly dashed. The new course was every bit as challenging as the previous course. On one particularly difficult hill, a very kind biker on a road bike passed me on my hybrid-with-a-broken-lowest-chain-rig and said “I honestly don't know how you are doing this on that bike.” It was a nice boost and made me feel good about all the time I spend lifting weights! Still, this may prove to be the ride that pushes me to finally buy a better bike.

SO HAPPY to be near the finish!

I went into this year's run resolved to take it easy. Knowing I had three more events to go this month, I didn't want to push it and wind up super-fatigued for days. I ran when I could and walked when I had to. It was my weakest run performance in this event, but I still pulled out a sprint at the end and felt fairly good overall.

As usual, the best part of IronGirl was seeing lots of my local athlete friends. I started the morning with my friend Christin from the Wonder Women group:

 

Making our coaches proud.

I also saw several other Wonder Women and a few friends from the Striders. This year, I was most excited for my grad school buddy, Jaquisha. Jaquisha is an accomplished runner and all-around great athlete. I always knew she was capable of doing tris and encouraged her to give it a shot. What I didn't know, though, is that she's deathly afraid of water and swimming. This year, she decided to try IronGirl anyway. She spent months with a coach learning how to swim and bike. She told me she cried at nearly every swim practice. Nevertheless, she pushed on and made it to the start line of IG.

As soon as I finished my race, I was dying to know how Jaquisha had done. I thought there was an 85% chance that she blew through everything like a champ and finished an hour before me, a 10% chance that she struggled in the water but made it and kicked butt at everything else, and maybe a 5% chance that she had major trouble on the swim. I found some ladies from her charity team and asked about her. They told me that she finished the swim, but spent over 2 hours in the water and was at risk of not finishing the bike course within the time limit. I was simultaneously terrified for her and deeply impressed. I was so worried that she might not finish in time, but so amazed with her for pushing through on the swim! I am not a quitter, but I think I may have given up on the swim after an hour. Pushing through for over 2 hours is simply remarkable.

Andrew and I weren't able to wait for Jaquisha because we had to get home for a friend's party. So, as he drove us home, I frantically hit “refresh” on the IG results being posted. Finally, I saw Jaquisha's name- whew! I was thrilled for her and she was thriled for herself. Way to go, friend!

The A-10

Regular readers of this blog will know that I was the victim of an apparent A-10 curse in 2010 and 2011. My luck started to turn in 2011, when the race was cancelled, but I met my future husband on what would have been race day. Then, in 2012, the curse was broken when my then-fiancee ran the race with me. I am happy to report no curse activity in 2013! In fact, this race was fairly uneventful.

Given all of my training hiccups in recent weeks, I've been doing my long runs in run/walk intervals. (I'll write more about that soon.) This isn't my usual way of doing things, but its been working for me. For this race, though, I really wanted to run the whole thing. Even though I planned to run Kauai with intervals, I had some psychological need to prove to myself that I can still run 10 miles with no breaks before marathon day. Andrew took a saner approach and worked in some intervals. Judging by our finish times, intervals were the right choice!

I wasn't trying to PR in this race. I knew I had no chance of approaching the 10-mile PR of 1:41 that I set last year. All I cared about this year was coming in under 2 hours. I pulled that off (just barely) with a time of 1:57. Andrew was a different story. He knocked 14 minutes off his time from last year to finish in 1:56. Even more amazing, he went from finishing 19 minutes after me in 2012 to finishing 1 minute ahead of me in 2013. I'm a competitive person by nature, but I can't help being thrilled for him. Way to go, husband!

So, that's the report on legs 1 and 2. Stay tuned for race reports on Kauai and IronGirl Rocky Gap!

Putting a toe out of line.

Toe protection: my new best friend.

Meet my new summer shoes: the (very comfortable) Keen Baha, featuring their patented toe guard. Those of you who know me personally probably know that I am not a fan of wearing gym clothes outside of the gym. Nor am I usually a fan of athletic footwear as everyday footwear. So, what has me wearing hiking sandals to work and to summer parties? The same thing that knocked me out of my scheduled tri on June 2nd: a little accident involving my toes.

All through May, I kept meaning to update this blog and share what Andrew and I were (and weren't) doing to get ready for the Rock Hall Sprint Triathlon. In particular, I wanted to share that we participated in a terrific open water swim clinic on May 18th (info on future clinics by that company here). I also wanted to tell you all about my amazing trip to the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC, aka: the most fun place on Earth. I was eager to share how I'm doing with my ActiveLink activity monitor (pretty well, thank you) and my increased food and veggie consumption (okay, but striving for better). I never got around to writing those updates because I was too busy running around doing all of this great stuff. Then, I hit a wall... or, more specifically, a door.

Warning: I am not going to post any gross pictures here (you're welcome), but the next few paragraphs may not be suitable for the squeamish. If this applies to you, the sanitized version is that I had a freak accident involving a door which resulted in two banged-up toes and one lost toenail. Now, you can skip to "End of gross story". The non-squeamish can read on:

On Thursday, May 30th (3 days before Rock Hall), I was attending an all day continuing ed event at my clinic's flagship office. This particular office houses a  portion of our residential treatment program, so it has features like a gym and a cafeteria, and all the doors are big and heavy for security. I was just finishing up a pleasant lunch with some co-workers, when my colleague Jen and I decided to return to the cafeteria and pick up some snacks for the afternoon. When I opened the cafeteria door, I opened it over my right foot. It really hurt, but I thought it was an "I stubbed my toe" hurt- as in, "this really hurts right now, but it will pass in a second." So, aside from some mental cursing, I didn't say anything. Jen had no idea anything was wrong until a couple minutes later, when I looked down at my foot and realized that two of my toes were purple and bleeding. Fortunately, this particular office also has a nurses' station. I flagged down another colleague who has worked in that office and said "Do you know if its okay for adults to go to the nurse? I think I have a problem." He took one look at my foot and very chivalrously walked me straight to the nurse.

At the nurses' office, a very kind nurse cleaned, examined, and bandaged my foot. Thankfully, I didn't appear to have any broken bones or cuts that required stiches. I had a cut/bruise combo on my 3rd toe, and the nail on my 2nd toe was partially pulled off. As soon as I got a good look at those injuries, I thought "Uh-oh. This might not be good for an open water swim." At that point, it hadn't even occurred to me that running or biking that weekend might be too painful (triathletes sneer at pain), but I was concerned about bacteria from the water getting into my cuts (a very real risk in open water swimming). I told the nurse about the upcoming race and asked if she had any advice about waterproof bandages or other coverings. Given that she was filling out an "occurrence report" for HR/Workman's Comp at that moment, I expected an evasive non-answer. Instead, she actually thought about it and said "I can't tell you whether or not its safe to swim, but you might want to pick up some 'finger condoms' at a drug store. I can't remember the real name, but they are designed to protect wounds on fingers and they would probably work on toes too."

So, that afternoon, I limped into Rite Aid in search of waterproof bandages, "finger condoms," Neosporin, and some antibacterial soap for soaking my foot at night. Sure enough, I found what the nurse had described right away: 

The real name for them is "finger cots," and they really are little condoms you can put on your fingers or toes. I went to work Friday morning, wearing bandages and finger cots on both toes, feeling ridiculous, but protected. In fact, when I got home on Friday afternoon, I learned that the finger cots had formed such a tight seal that they cut off my circulation! My toes were a little swollen, but clean and dry. I thought I might be okay for the swim... and then things got worse.

My mother stopped by to check on me Friday afternoon, just as I taking off the bandages and investigating my foot. I was sitting on the couch, talking to her and not paying close attention, when I lifted up my unbandaged foot and knocked it right into the coffee table. This is something I probably do 3-5 times a week on our big, heavy coffee table, and its usually no big deal. Of course, I usually don't have a toenail that's barely hanging on. Warning: this is where it gets really gross. After kicking the table, I looked down and saw that my toenail had opened like a window and my toe was covered in blood. I think both Mom and I went into a little bit of shock, but I was able to give her instructions and she was able to follow them. She got my foot-soaking basin and filled it with water so I could wash off the blood. Then, she got me some Advil for the pain and a pair of tweezers so I could get a closer look at the toenail itself. Once I willed myself to grab the nail with the tweezers, I realized that it was 99.9% detached, so I took a deep breath and just pulled it off. Mom went out and got me some more supplies, so I could clean and wrap it. As gross as it was, I was actually a little relieved. I didn't kick that table very hard, which tells me that nail was going to get kicked off sooner or later. I'm happy it happened at home and at a time when I had someone there to help.

End of gross story.

When I woke up Saturday morning, I was pretty sure my Rock Hall race plans were over, but I couldn't let it go without at least trying. After changing my bandages, I gingerly put on socks and running shoes and went outside to see if I could run. I went up and down the street a couple times, and it was painful, but bearable. Then, I tried putting on my bike shoes (which are much harder) and walking around the house. Again, painful but bearable. This was frustrating. If the pain had been awful, my decision would have been easy. Instead, I was stuck with "Maybe I could do this, but should I?" Andrew very patiently helped me think through the pros and cons:

Pros:

-I would get to do the race and feel like a badass for pushing through a (disgusting) injury.

Cons:

-I might be in so much pain that the race would be miserable.
-I might be in so much pain that I would have to drop out of the race.
-I might get an infection from bacteria in the water.
-Running and biking might make my injuries worse and put me out of commission for races later in the month (including one of the Champ Series races).

Once I laid it all out, the right decision was obvious. It just wasn't worth the risk. The possibility of missing the next Champ Series race (which is on 6/16) really made the decision for me. As much as I didn't want to miss the tri, I really don't want to miss out on my 4th IronMan award by having to skip a Champ Series race. So, I put away my gear and focused on being Andrew's lead cheerleader/equipment manager for his first tri.

Bright and early Sunday morning, Andrew and I arrived in Rock Hall for the race. It was a beautiful place and a perfect day for racing. I was very glad that I had left my own equipment at home because I definitely would have thrown caution to the wind and tried to race if I had the opportunity. It was warm and sunny with clear skies and what felt like just a little wind... until we got to the water. Down in the harbor, the wind was serious and the water was super-choppy. I got really scared and I can only imagine how Andrew was feeling. Then, we noticed people jumping into the water to warm up. I had never seen people do this at a tri before, but I immediately told Andrew to join them. I wanted him to see how rough the conditions really were so he could prepare himself. He jumped in, paddled around a bit, and came out with good news: it wasn't nearly as bad as it looked. He was visibly relaxed, which calmed me down too.

Ready to race!

Still, I didn't really relax until Andrew finished the swim. His parents came up to watch the race, and we nervously stood at the docks until he came out... running!

Looking good!

 He looked better than I usually look at the end of a swim, and he did a pretty quick transition onto the bike. 45 or 50 minutes later, we had another period of worry. Andrew had exited the water just after our Striders' buddy, Noreen. So, when we saw Noreen come in from the bike leg, we expected Andrew to be right behind her. When we were still waiting 10 minutes later, I got worried that he had a flat. I found out later that he hit a big headwind in the last 5 miles. The headwind was rough on everyone, but especially on Andrew who had very little training on the bike. Finally, he made it in and headed out for the run. A little over 30 minutes later, we saw him round the final corner and sprint for the finish:

Here he comes!

I was so excited for him, and even more excited that he didn't say "Hell, no!" when I asked him if he would do another tri one day.

My triumphant husband.

In fact, Andrew is already signed up for another tri. By the time we got home from Rock Hall, I was determined to make up for my missed race somehow. I had heard of a small, first-time sprint tri happening near our house on June 30th (details here), but I hadn't signed up because two triathlons in one month felt both expensive and crazy. Now, this race would be my chance for redemption. I signed up a couple days later, and Andrew signed up too!

Of course, as soon as I signed up for the 6/30 race, I started to worry. What if my foot isn't better in time? For a few days, it wasn't looking good. As the cuts on my toes healed, the pain actually got worse. I only tried minimal exercise most of last week, and it was rough. Then, this past Saturday, I tried getting on a treadmill for the first time. Initially, it looked bad. It hurt just to lace up my shoes and walk to the treadmill. The first few minutes of walking on the treadmill hurt, but I gradually upped the speed and the pain gradually went away. After 20 minutes, it didn't hurt at all. I was even able to do some military-style pushups (aka: on my toes) afterward. I think that running actually stretched out the skin around the wounds and relieved some pressure. Two days later, it still feels better.

So, I am not expecting to PR in my race on 6/16 or in my tri on 6/30, but I am expecting to get across the finish line and be grateful for it!

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...

Tri Rock Annapolis!

I survived! Despite the fact that I did a lot more worrying than training, I finished TriRock Annapolis and I even had fun. Here's a quick recap.

The Night Before

Flexing with my race numbers. 

The night before the race, I spent a little bit of time packing my gear, and a lot of time worrying. I had been out early (aka: at race time) every morning that week, and it was pretty chilly. The idea of jumping in a cold river in my only-tested-once wetsuit was both unappealing and terrifying. I actually woke up a couple times during the night and thought "Maybe I just won't do this."

Race Morning


When the alarm went off, I didn't let myself think about whether or not to go through with the race. I just got up and started getting dressed. My lovely fiance/equipment manager Andrew lives less than half a mile from the race start, so we just pushed my bike and carried my bags. We arrived at the transition area to find a line about half a block long. The transition entrance was narrow and it took a long time to get everyone in.

Transition on a lovely morning. 

Almost immediately, I started running into people I know. The nice thing about doing races in Annapolis is that I see people from the gym, the Striders, and my tri-training group. It felt like the whole neighborhood had just decided to do a tri that morning. Seeing so many friends made me feel more excited.

After about 20 minutes, I got to my transition spot and realized that I lucked out again. I had a spot on the end of a row (the inside end, but still the end) right up against a little building. Bingo: extra space AND a landmark! The race started at 7am, but my swim wave wasn't scheduled until 8:15, so I had a lot of time to chat with the other people in my row. It turned out that my whole section/swim wave was made up of 30-35 year-old women, and none of us felt particularly confident in the water. Many of the ladies were first-timers. One was 7 months pregnant! By the time our swim wave was called, we were all best friends.

The Swim

Go Team Pink! 

My swim wave was second-to-last: #12 out of 13. I wasn't thrilled with the long wait, but I was very happy to be in a group with other slow-ish swimmers and not too many other people in the water. I was worried enough about swimming in a cold river without also worrying about people swimming over me. At about 8:10am, my group walked down to the floating pier, where we faced the worst part of the whole race: jumping in.

Talking myself into taking the plunge.

I did it! 

The initial shock of the water was about as bad as I expected. Fortunately, I got used to it pretty quickly and didn't have to wait too long to start swimming. The water was cold and choppy- unlike any of my previous open-water swims. I tried putting my head under a couple times and found it too hard. So, I wound up alternating between a totally inefficient head-up freestyle and my trusty backstroke. This combo kept me moving, but it made the swim way more exhausting than it should have been. By the time I reached the ladder to exit the water, my whole body was like Jello.

Not an easy climb. 

T1 and the Bike


Once I finally got up the ladder, I started stripping off my wetsuit and heading for the bike. I realized too late that my wetsuit is too big. This didn't help me in the water, but it made transition a breeze! While other people around me were struggling to get out of their wetsuits, I had mine off in about 10 seconds. I grabbed my bike gear and headed for the mount line.

Feeling good... for the moment. 

All was going well for a couple minutes. I even managed to jog a little with the bike. Andrew met me at the mounting spot and snapped a picture as I got on. Thus, he captured the lovely moment when both my calves simultaneously cramped up.

AGONY!

The pain was fairly astonishing. I generally refrain from swearing in public, but I shouted a couple choice words as I waited for the pain to pass. Poor Andrew looked terrified. Fortunately, after a few seconds it died away and I was able to head out.

On my way! 

My number 1 fear going into this event was drowning in the swim. #2 was that I wouldn't be able to handle the hilly 12-mile bike ride. I find biking pretty challenging and I also find that training on a spin bike does not prepare me at all for riding on the road. And where did I do all of my training for this race? You guessed it- on a spin bike. Yet, for reasons I can't explain, the bike actually went fairly well. I never felt like I couldn't handle it and I wound up improving just a little over my speed from IronGirl.

Coming around the final turn. 

T2 and the Run


T2 was rough. Because TriRock was a short race and the swim waves were so staggered, some of the first racers had finished by the time I entered the water. By the time I finished the bike, far more people were finished than still on the course. For reasons beyond my comprehension, the organizers re-opened transition fairly early. This meant that I had to do my bike-to-run transition while others were hanging out post-race and packing to go home. I tried to run my bike in, but got held up repeatedly by people standing in the middle of transition, leaning on their bikes and having conversations. This was VERY frustrating and resulted in a way slower transition time.

Heading out on the run was also a challenge. No matter how many bike-to-run workouts I do, I never seem quite prepared for how tired I am going into the run portion of a tri. Fortunately, it was late enough by that point that tourists and finished racers had lined the streets, cheering on the runners. I wanted to walk out of transition, but I just couldn't do it with all those people cheering. I picked it up and kept running, even though the first half-mile was a cruel uphill.

By the first water stop, I had found my rhythm, but I still let myself take a brief walk break. I did the same when I came through the water stop again (it was an out-and-back course). After the second water stop, I got to the best part of the race. We repeated the first part of the course- Main Street- only this time, we were headed straight downhill to the finish. I spotted an older runner walking and said "This is downhill- let's run!" He smiled and picked it up.

As I approached the finish, I spotted Andrew with the camera and managed a smile and a mini-sprint.

Trying to look strong for the camera. 

Seconds later, I crossed the line and got my (very nice) medal. I felt awesome.

Another very heavy Rock 'n' Roll medal. 

I finished just in time to catch part of the awards ceremony, in which my Wonder Women trainer Michelle came in second, my boot camp teacher Kate won her age group, and my boot camp buddy Nate won his age group! I turned to Andrew and said "We may not be the best, but we get to train with the best!"

Kate and Nate show off their trophies/beer mugs. 

Andrew and I spent a bit more time swapping race stories with friends, and then we headed back to his place. On our way home, we saw a ton of racers riding their bikes home (including Kate and her husband and our friends Jen and Tracey) as well as the usual Saturday runners. Andrew commented "This is a really fit town," and I felt a lot of hometown pride.

Once I got home, I had no time to rest, as I had a family event to attend at a swanky hotel in DC. When I took my post-race shower, I learned that the race numbers had been designed to stay on- a good 5 minutes of scrubbing didn't make a dent. So, off I went to one of the fanciest hotels in DC sporting my classiest look:

The number was on my other arm and thigh too, making for head-to-toe class. 

All in all, a great race and a great day! My results were as follows:

Swim (500M): 17:09 (my weakest part of the day)

T1: 4:38

Bike (12mi): 57:22 (not great, but faster than IronGirl!)

T2: 3:20 (stupid open transition area!)

Run: 31:44 (my strongest part of the day)

Overall: 1:54:15

Considering I barely trained and was expecting to finish in 2:15, I was very happy with this outcome. Now, its time to get ready for IronGirl!

Tri again (and again, and again).

I have a wetsuit! 

As my regular readers know, I completed my first triathlon (IronGirl Columbia) last August. It was tough, but I had a great time and I finished thinking "I need to do more of these!" I wasn't able to fit any tri's into my fall racing schedule last year, but I had every intention of doing at least two or three this summer.

Then, life happened. I changed jobs, got into a relationship, and started planning a wedding. This left little time to think about racing. What little time I spent planning my summer/fall 2012 race schedule consisted of just signing up for all the races that I do every year. I signed up for IronGirl again, but I didn't find any other tri's to suit my schedule. I knew about a few other local races, but they all felt too soon and/or too long.

One of the races that fell into the "too soon" category was TriRock Annapolis, which takes place this Saturday. The distance is short: 500M swim, 12mi bike, 3.1mi run. Compared to IronGirl- 998M swim, 17.5mi bike, 3.3mi run- that's nothing. Still, when registration opened early this year, I didn't feel ready. I'd done some spinning, but I hadn't ridden my bike outside since IronGirl in August. I joined a pool in February, but I didn't actually start swimming again until mid-March. Plus, the weather would be still be cool enough to require a wetsuit for the swim. I didn't have one and, even if I got one, I didn't know if I would get a chance to practice in it before the race.

Then, a few things happened to change my feelings about TriRock. First, I started swimming again and it did not go badly. In fact, for reasons beyond my comprehension, I actually feel stronger in the pool compared to last year. Second, the weather warmed up early in the year. Last year's TriRock happened on a rainy day with temps in the 50's. That seems unlikely this year. Finally, I joined the Wonder Women tri-traning group again for both their late winter and early spring training sessions. The combination of these things started to make TriRock feel possible. Then, on the day before I left for my London vacation, I got a coupon in my email for $10 off TriRock registration. The combo of pre-vacation excitement and a discount pushed me over the edge. I signed up for the race and ordered a wetsuit from Amazon.

Now, a little under a month later, I am facing my first tri of the season! I would love to say that I have trained intensely over the last several weeks, but the only thing I have done intensely this past month is wedding plan. Fortunately, our lovely Wonder Women coaches came through for me big-time this past weekend. Realizing that I and several of the other WW were feeling less-than-prepared for TriRock, they set up a practice tri for us this past Sunday. We did a 10-minute open-water swim, which gave all of us the opportunity to test our new wetsuits. Then, we followed that with a 20-minute bike ride and 10-minute run. In between, we simulated race transitions as best we could.

The practice tri was rough, but I survived it. Swimming in the wetsuit was actually easier than I anticipated (though swimming in cold water was harder!). The bike ride reminded me that spinning is nothing like riding a bike outdoors, but it also reminded me that I can tough it out on the bike when I have to. The run reminded me that running after a tough bike ride is miserable, but I can tough that out too. I still rock at transitions. All in all, I don't expect to put in a stellar performance on Saturday, but I also don't expect to pass out or die. At this point, I'll take it!

In the midst of all this, I also added another tri to my 2012 schedule. After IronGirl Columbia sold out in a frenzied 3 hours this year, the organizers decided to add another MD race. This one- IronGirl Rocky Gap- will happen in Western Maryland this coming September. I thought that taking a weekend in the mountains a few months before my wedding sounded like a great idea, so I signed up the day it opened. Then, just last week, I got an unexpected and pleasant surprise. The IronGirl race directors emailed myself and the rest of the ladies who were in the first 500 registrants for RockyGap and told us that we will get an opportunity to register in advance for IronGirl Columbia in 2013.

So, now I have 3 tri's on the agenda for 2012 and at least one for 2013!

Just in time for 2012: My 2011 Year in Review

So, 2011 ended on a bit of a low note. New Year's Eve morning, I left the house at 6:45AM, intending to run to the first meeting of this year's Annapolis Strider's half-marathon training. I made an early start because I am signed up for a marathon in March (more on that soon!) and need to add extra miles to the half-marathon training runs. Less than 10 minutes into my run, I hit a pothole and fell. Hard. It really hurt, but I was able to get up and walk home, which meant no major injuries (phew!). When I got home, I found a seriously skinned and bruised knee, along with some cuts and imbedded gravel in my hand.

Not how I wanted to end my running year! 

After a good hour of fretting and pouting, I gave up on running for the day and proceeded to have an amazing New Year's Eve with my lovely boyfriend. Now, I am trying to stay focused on the positive, entering 2012 with a good attitude. What better way to do that than to review my accomplishments from 2011? So, here we go!

January: No races this month, but I did start my 2nd year of the Annapolis Striders' half-marathon training plan. I also started swimming and gathering gear for my first triathlon: IronGirl.

February: On 2/12, I ran the AS Valentine's Day 5K, my first race of the year and the first leg of the 2011 Champ Series. I was trying to come in under 30 minutes, but didn't quite get there. I finished in 30:16.

Also in February, I attended the AS annual banquet where I picked up my first IronMan award!

The 2010 Iron-people!

March: On 3/6, I ran the B&A Trail Half-Marathon for the second time. I finished in 2:18:55, an improvement of 5:10 over my 2010 time!

Val, Marie, and I after the 2011 B&A Half. This was Marie's first half! 

On 3/20, I ran a 5K with the Howard County Striders to support my friend and new runner Jaquisha. She finished her very first race, and I ran my 5K PR for the year: 27:19. That's over 3 minutes faster than my 2010 5K PR of 30:22!

April: On 4/4, I ran the AS Cherry Pit 10-miler, which is the 2nd leg of the Champ Series. I finished in 1:47:31, my 2011 10-mile PR and an improvement of 1:23 over 2010.

Also in April, my friend Pat and I competed in the Ridgeway Triathlon as part of the wedding of our ultra-running friends Krista and Ray. The event was run-bike-canoe. I did the run, Pat did the bike, and we both did the canoe. The run was just over 5 miles (5.14) and I ran it in 47:49. When you consider that my 2010 5-mile PR was 52:04, that's pretty awesome.

My teammate and I post-race and pre-wedding. 

I finished out April with my 2nd running of the Arbutus Spring Fling 5K, which I finished in 27:28. Not a PR, but still a 2:58 improvement over 2010!

May: No races in May, but I really got into my tri-training with the Wonder Women.

June: I celebrated my 32nd birthday with what I dubbed "Extreme Sports Weekend." On Saturday, 6/4, my friend Katie and I ran the first-ever VA Wine Country Half-Marathon. I finished in 2:17:16, which was a PR at the time. Then, after a wonderful day of post-race wine tasting, I got up on Sunday and did a practice tri with the Wonder Women. I was pretty impressed with myself until my tri coach Ellen mentioned that she ran a full marathon on Saturday... and won.

Katie and I post-race in VA Wine Country!

With the Wonder Women on my 32nd birthday. 

Also in June, I ran two 10K's. The first was the AS Father's Day 10K on 6/19, which is the 3rd leg of the Champ Series. I finished that one in 1:01:37, a 2011 PR and an improvement of 5:19 over 2010. The second was the Dreaded Druid Hills 10K on 6/25. That race truly lived up to its name, but I still managed to finish in 1:05:15.

Dreaded Druid Hills. This is at the start, which is why I don't look like I'm in agony. 

July: This was a crazy month, including the most intense training for IronGirl and the start of my 2011 marathon training. Somehow, I also squeezed in two races: 

On 7/9, I ran the AS Women's Distance Festival 5K. In 2010, I twisted my ankle on a trail run the night before this race and had to drop out. This year, I finished in 27:30. 

Still smiling: must be lap 1!

On 7/16, I ran the AS Wall Mile, which is the 4th leg of the Champ Series. I was trying to finish under 8 minutes, having clocked a 7:44 mile during training with the Wonder Women. Unfortunately, I shot myself in the foot by showing up early to put in some extra mileage for the day. A 5-mile warmup meant that I had to fight for every second of my 8:11 finishing time. Still, that's an official 1-mile PR and a 16-second improvement over 2010. Also, the AS photographer took a great picture of me crossing the finish line: 

Look at me go! 

August: This was probably the biggest month of my athletic year: the month of my first real triathlon! Before the tri, though, I ran the AS Dog Days 8K on 8/7, which was the 5th leg of the Champ Series. Marie and I did a tough bike ride beforehand, so this race was a struggle. I finished in 52:52, an improvement of 2:18 over 2010. 

Then, 8/21 was the big day: IronGirl! This was my first triathlon and it was both harder and more fun than I ever imagined. I finished in about 2:45 and I am looking forward to cutting that time in 2012! 

My training buddy Marie- I would not have survived without her! 

On August 28th, I had a big disappointment: for the 2nd year in a row, I didn't get to run the A10. In 2010 it was my appendix; in 2011, it was Hurricane Irene. On the bright side, I used the extra time to go on a first date with the guy who is now my amazing boyfriend. So, I guess that all worked out! 

September: After August, I shifted gears from focusing on IronGirl to focusing on November's NYC marathon. I also ran two races: 

On 9/11, I ran the Parks Half-Marathon for the 2nd time. I was hoping to finish in 2:15, but that dream ended early in the race when I waited in a bathroom line for 7 minutes. Instead, I finished in 2:22:02. I was a little bummed, but that's still an improvement of over 11 minutes from the previous year. Even better, Parks was my worst half of 2011, but I ran it faster than my best half of 2010 (which was 2:24:05). Woot!  

On 9/24, I ran 2 laps of a 40-mile ultra trail race with my friends Krista and Ray. The full race was 5 laps. I did a total of 16 miles, Krista did 24, and Ray did the whole 40! This was a serious trail race and I did not want to get injured, so Krista and I took it easy and enjoyed the sights. As a result, our shared 16 miles took about 4 hours. Not fast, but fun! 

This trail was MUDDY! It's a miracle I didn't fall. 

October: Two big races this month! The first was the AS Metric Marathon on 10/2. I went out way too fast in this race and the last few miles were AWFUL. Still I managed to knock almost 10 minutes off my 2010 time, finishing in 2:55:31. This was the 6th leg of the Champ Series. 

On 10/15, I ran the Baltimore Half Marathon in 2:16:31. I could not have been happier. Baltimore is a tough race and I managed a PR and a 10:01 improvement from 2010! 

I was very proud of this medal! 

November: This was the 2nd-biggest month of my athletic year: marathon month! The first weekend of the month was Extreme Sports Weekend 2 of 2011: 

On Saturday, 11/5, I did the worker run for the AS Down's Park 5-miler, which is the 7th leg of the Champ Series. My time for this race is unofficial, but I clocked myself at 48:35, which is 3:21 faster than 2010. 

On Sunday, 11/6, I ran my 2nd marathon: NYC! Despite some intestinal issues, I had an amazing day and finished in 5:31:05. That's over 38 minutes faster than my 2010 marathon time! Even better, I got to spend time with great friends and support a great cause: St. Lydia's church in Brooklyn. I even got a Christmas card: 

The marathon wasn't the end of my racing month. On 11/19, I ran the inaugural Annapolis Half Marathon. Both the race directors and I had some issues, but I enjoyed seeing many local friends and finished in 2:19:25. 

The race wasn't perfect, but the medal was beautiful! 

December: In December, I hit a racing milestone: I ran a race for the 3rd year in a row. The race was the AS Anniversary 15K, which is the 8th and final leg of the Champ Series. I had a great race, finishing in 1:37:44. That's nearly 7 minutes faster than 2010 and over 16 minutes faster than 2009! This race also sealed my 2011 IronMan award. 

IronMan award, here I come! 

I finished my 2011 racing season on 12/17, with my first running of the Celtic Solstice 5-miler. I was not feeling it in this race, but I was determined to set an official 5-mile PR and I did it: 49:28! 

All in all, an amazing year. Counting my two tri's (Ridgway and IronGirl), I completed 22 races and set PR's in every distance. For every race I ran in both 2010 and 2011, I finished faster in 2011. According to my calendar, I worked out 253 out of 365 days in 2011 (an average of 4.9 times/week) and ran a total of 568 miles.

I could not have done any of this without the amazing love and support of you: my family, friends, and readers! I can't wait to share 2012 with you!