Ironman 70.3 Racine Race Report

Ironman Racine 70.3

The race was on Sunday July 21, 2013 so we headed up to Racine on Friday. It was a very long drive after getting stuck in Chicago for a LONG time! But we made it! Ate dinner and went to bed early and got a good night’s sleep.  On Saturday we went to the Ironman Village and picked up our race packets, did a little shopping (I bought an overpriced backpack that was worth every penny J ), ate some lunch, and then took the bikes to transition. Sunday morning was an early 4 am wake up call; we got up on time, packed up the car and off we went. Once we arrived I set all the gear up in the transition area, ate some breakfast, found the bathrooms, and headed off to the swim start area.

Swim (Goal – 1 hour) 1.2 miles

We made it to the swim start area around 6:30 with the race starting at 7 and my wave starting at 7:20. While waiting I was watching the lake water and trying to keep my nerves in check. The waves looked pretty rough! So instead of worrying about that I decided it was time to wiggle into the wetsuit. Well that is always a challenge and took my mind off the swim for a bit anyway! Soon came the national anthem and then the pro start and then my wave was called to line up. I talked to a couple people in my wave and everyone I asked had done this race before and said to just make it to the first turn on the swim (roughly 200 meters) after that it got easier (so they said). Before I knew it we were in the holding area and it was almost our turn. I just kept telling myself – just make it to the first turn. The first turn was about 200 meters in then there were 7 yellow buoys, a halfway point buoy, 7 orange buoys, and then the red turn buoy for the final 200 meters to the swim exit. The gun goes off and we head out into the water – did I mention the water temp was 66 degrees? BRRRR!!!!!  Wow! It’s cold! I walk out and the waves are just crazy. At some point everyone started to try to swim to the first turn buoy. Well, I didn’t really do much “swimming” it was more of a kick your feet and try not to get swallowed up by the waves – but you couldn’t get your head down in the water to really swim as the waves were just crazy! (Before this race I think I had only done 4 open water swims and one of those was not successful!) There were so many people that just grabbed ahold of the rafts before getting to the first turn; but I was determined to make it there. Well, eventually I made it and made the right turn and decided it was time to try to swim. I really had no clue how to swim with waves like these and water that was so choppy. So I just started praying (again!)! Well, that worked J because I managed to get into some sort of rhythm and started to swim to the next buoy and then the next on down the row. It was very hard to sight as every time you would look up there were waves so tall you could not see the buoys so I just looked for swim caps! I finally made it to the halfway point and all of a sudden my left calf muscle just seized up! Oh no!! I’ve only had that happen once before and I was in the pool. I had no idea what to do so I just stopped kicking (not that I had any choice as I couldn’t move my leg without pain) and used my arms that much more. Finally my left leg worked itself out a little and I was able to move my legs a little bit but that didn’t last long! Somewhere around ¾ of the way through my right leg did the same thing! Oh Crap! Really??!!! I had made it so far at this point there was no way I was giving up (besides I bought that backpack!)! So once again I stopped using my legs and just used my arms that much more. By the time I made it to the final turn my legs were somewhat usable again and I was so excited because I was almost done! The water was getting even rougher and I was getting really tired but at this point surely I could just float in right?!?! The last 200 meters was the hardest of all as the waves were crazy and I just kept choking on the water! I finally made it to where I could stand up and walk in but I forgot about my calves – until I stood up! Ouch! I couldn’t stand up! I’m really not sure how long it took me to stand up and be able to walk (well it was more like a penguin waddle I think)!  Actual swim time 58:34! Woohoo!

T1 (goal 5-6 minutes)

Well, I had not planned on how far the walk was from the beach to the bikes. I had also not planned on it being loose sand with no mats down. So, there was no running, I just walked in to the bike transition area. But, it didn’t matter because I made it through the swim!! I got to my bike, waving to my family, and rinsed my feet, put on my socks and shoes, my helmet, sunglasses and bike gloves, and my arm cooling sleeves (hot pink of course!). Grabbed the bike and off I went. Actual T1 9:09

Bike (goal 3 ½ hours) 56 miles

The start of the bike was uphill (of course!) but I was so excited to be done with the swim that I didn’t even notice the hill! The first few miles on the bike were quite a bit faster than goal but I blamed it on the fact that I was trying to hurry to the bathroom! I stopped at the first aid station and used the bathroom and took off again on the bike. I made it to mile 10 so quickly I was really surprised. I had been watching my bike mile splits and all were much faster than goal pace. I wasn’t sure this was a good idea as I didn’t think I could hold this for the 56 miles. But it was such a beautiful day and the weather was perfect for a bike ride! At the halfway point I was still smiling and my pace was still ahead of goal pace so I just decided to keep going at whatever pace I could manage! The bike course was not very hilly, had a lot of turns and the roads were pretty rough. I ate two packages of the cliff blocks and some pretzels filled with peanut butter. I drank Gatorade and water. It really seemed like no time and I was at the end of the bike part of the race! The end was at the bottom of the hill we climbed to begin with so it was very dangerous. I slowed down and moved way over to the side to get off my bike – good thing to because the people behind me crashed into one another. Actual Bike 3:15:53 or 17.15 mph! Woohoo!

T2 (goal 4-5 minutes)

Made it back to my spot in transition, put the bike on the rack, changed shoes, took off the helmet and gloves and put on my headband and hat. Waved to my family and off I went for the run. Actual T2 3:33

Run (goal 2:20) 13.1 miles

Ok, this was it! The run! I knew this would be tough but this is what I do, what I enjoy the most! Running! Woohoo! Whoa, wait a minute, what’s wrong?? My stomach. Oh no. Everytime I tried to run my left side cramped up. I was about a half mile into the run at this point. Well, this isn’t a good sign! So I walk up the first little hill hoping my side cramp will go away! I make it up the hill and run again, well sort of, not really. Ouch! I try everything I can think of to make it go away but nothing was helping. So, it was time to go up the next hill and I walked up it too. I knew that it was about a mile at the top of the hill and there was to be an aid station. So I made it to the aid station and grabbed some water and powerade hoping that I was just a little dehydrated and this would help. So I started to run again and it didn’t work very well but I just kept running and then walking again. I stopped again to use the bathroom and then back to the run/walk. I made it to the turnaround just after 3 miles and grabbed a bonk breaker and some water. I’ve never tried these but at this point I was willing to try anything! By mile five my left side was better but now my entire stomach hurt. Oh please don’t let me puke like so many others I have seen! Yikes! I made it to the next mile still doing a run/walk and it was time to turn and start the second loop. It’s really not fair to bring the runners in sight of the finish line and have us turn for a second loop! At this point, I can still make my overall 7 hour goal but with my stomach pain it was going to be tough. Up until mile 11 I did a lot of run/walk combinations with a lot of walk. The temperature had been warming up and I kept taking ice and putting it into my hat and walking through the water that people were spraying to cool down.  At mile 11 I had to pick it up and run in order to get in at 7 hours. So I ran, well, sort of! It was a slow and painful run but I was still moving. And I was about to be done with my first half ironman so I was trying to focus on that instead of my stomach! Mile 12, finally. One more to go. Finally I could see the finish line (again) and just started smiling again! I was super excited as I crossed the finish line! Woohoo! I did it! I crossed the finish line stopped running and grabbed onto a volunteer’s arm to keep from falling over! I kept moving forward and got my medal! Woohoo!!! Run actual 2:34:59

So overall my goal time was 7 hours and I finished in 7:02:08! I was very excited! I found my family, sat down and rested for a bit and somehow managed to stand back up and walk over to transition, get my stuff and made it to the car (slowly!).

This was an amazing day for me! I wasn’t sure I would even be able to make the swim and I had finished the race! I will do another half ironman again but as for a full ironman, I’m not sure, maybe, if my calf muscles ever forgive me!!

2013 Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon Race Report

Time Goals for the race: Ultimate time goal 1:50 (although I didn't feel this was very realistic); Main time goal - PR which would take something better than 1:53:34

Well, the night before the race was my typical pre race night. I didn't do much - in fact I even took a little nap! I laid out all of my race stuff and went to bed around 10:30 planning to get up at 5 in the morning. I got up a little after 5 but had a hard time getting moving. Ate my normal PB&J for breakfast and started to get ready. I was supposed to meet friends at 6 but I was definitely not moving fast enough for that today. So I was finally ready to leave my house at 6; well I thought I was anyway! I didn't make it very far, fortunately, before I realized I forgot my sunglasses and decided to turn around and go back and get them (knowing that it was overcast and rain was predicted!). That didn't put me behind too much. So I was supposed to meet the group I have been training with all season just before 7 so I was definitely going to make that!

I made it downtown in no time and found a spot to park without any trouble. Got everything I needed out of the car and headed over to Slugger Field. I stopped at the bathrooms on the way - no lines! I made it to Slugger Field early and waited. Where was everyone?? Was I at the right statue?? So I second guessed myself and walked down to the other side of Slugger Field trying to remember if there was another statue. I didn't find anyone so I went back to where I was originally but still didn't see anyone. Walked around a bit and finally found some of them standing in the corral in front of the statue - well I didn't look inside the corrals! So, the four of us lined up and just waited patiently for the race to start. I was surprisingly warm and decided to not run with the arm sleeves that I had purchased. Thanks to my running buddy for carrying them for me during the race!!

So, it was finally time to start moving. We crossed the start line and took off - well sort of anyway. It was very crowded at first and funny there were quite a few walkers that we had to run around! This really makes me angry! I think it's great to walk the races but line up appropriately so no one gets hurt! So my friend and I hit the first mile at 9:02 which is slower than we wanted but we could make that up. We are still running all over the place trying to get around people and even running on the sidewalks as there were just so many people. Mile 2 - 8:35 - better! Mile 3 went by pretty quickly too 8:28!

Mile 4 - At some point we pass close to the office and then head down Broadway. Still moving along at a nice pace. 8:37. Feeling pretty good but seemed a little humid which started to worry me as I don't run well with high humidity. Also somewhere in here we meet a lady running her first Derby Mini - more on her later.

Mile 5 8:29! Feeling better now - doesn't seem quite so humid and there was a nice breeze. Mile 6 - Central Park. Clogging up a bit but saw a friend so that was motivation :) 8:45 definitely a lot of people through there. Still running with our new friend. Mile 7 & 8 - must have been in the zone because I really don't remember these miles 8:32 & 8:35.

Oh good. Mile 9. Churchill Downs. Ok, its not that I don't like Churchill Downs, but I just don't like running through it the way the course goes - I really hate those tunnels! There is no air in there and they are so narrow. And the smells :( Not as bad as last year but still . . . However, seeing the horses running was cool. In the tunnels, the GPS on the watch glitches too and signal was lost. So I'm just going to continue to post the splits based on whatever the watch said. 9:12 for this mile :(

Mile 10 - Picked it back up for this mile 8:36. We are still running with our new friend and have learned that she is new to the area and needs a race faster than 2:01 to PR and she doesn't train like most of us runners train - she does crossfit. Wow. I'm impressed. She looks like she is out on an easy jog! I feel like I'm dying off and she is doing great! Maybe there's something to the crossfit thing. 5k left.

Mile 11 - Ok, really tired now. Tell my friend that has helped me run so fast this far that I don't think I can keep it up. Just getting tired and my left leg is hurting. 8:39 for this mile. Well on our way back to downtown through the areas that we run all the time. It does help to know the course.

Miles 12 and 13 - I knew I was going to have to keep it up if I were going to PR. When I hit mile 11 I turned on the iPod - Motley Crue :) Ok, that is helping. I keep going. 8:42. At some point in here the GPS loses signal again (around the convention center). I am running as hard as I can at this point knowing that I might not make the PR. It would be close but I just wasn't sure I could do it. So instead of giving up I pushed through (digging deep and thinking of all the training runs and the speedworkouts and the words of encouragement from everyone) and managed to keep going. I turned down Main Street and really picked it up - or at least I thought I did. My garmin says 8:40 for mile 13. I am certain it was faster! My garmin also only read 13.05 for the course because of the gps outages so I think it was faster.

Okay, one more left turn and down the hill and across the finish line! I feel like I am flying now and I think I'm going to make the PR! I ran as hard as I could until I crossed the finish line and stopped the watch. It read 1:53:11 - that's a PR! My last little bit of running was at a 6:18 pace.

My official time was 1:53:07 so a PR of 27 seconds! This was a certified course and my previous PR was not on a certified course (so today's race was obviously longer!!!). The course is definitely a flat and fast course. The crowd support was pretty good (especially with the threat of rain!) The only part of the course that I really don't like are the tunnels in Churchill Downs. Today was a triumphant day for me! My previous PR was in Oct 2011 and 2012 was a tough running year for me. So my PR today means that I am back on track and improving over the rough year last year!

I absolutely could not have done this without my friend that ran with me the whole race today and to our training group! You guys rock!

Week 15 Training

Well this was a very productive training week! I met the goals I had for the week of doing all three sports 3 times during the week and 2 1/2 hours on the bike.

Monday - 1000 yard swim and 4 miles running
Tuesday - 4 miles running
Wednesday - 3 miles running and 45 minutes (10.54 miles) on the bike
Thursday - 5k run and 30 minute (7.34 miles) on the bike
Friday - 1000 yard swim (my fastest yet!! 24:28)
Saturday - last minute decision to run a 5k race and so glad I did!! A new 5k PR of 23:21!! And 1st in my age group!! Followed that with 5 more miles running later in the day.
Sunday - long swim 2250 yards and yep! 2 1/2 hours on the bike! 34.4 miles

This was a strong training week for sure! And to end the week with a new 5k PR was great!!

Next weeks goal is to rest and recover to be ready for Saturdays Derby mini!!! It's race week!

Week 14 Training

Wow, 14 weeks already?? Looks like I'm halfway there as there are 14 weeks left until Racine! Yikes!

This has been a good week of training and ended with a good race!

Monday - 4 mile run
Tuesday - Intervals 12x400s total miles about 5.5
Wednesday - 1000 yard swim (fastest 1000 to date!); 5 mile run; 12.7 mile bike
Thursday - 4 mile run
Friday - 5 mile run
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - Sprint Tri Race Day (See separate race report if you want :) )

So what did I learn from today's race? Lots of things! I still need to work on not panicking during the swim although I was able to control it much better today. I need to ride the bike a LOT more during the week. And I need to practice the brick workouts more. Oh, and don't put the chip timer on too tight around your ankle!!! Ouch :)

Goal for the upcoming week - swim, bike and run each at least 3 times this week. And at least 2.5 hours on the bike on Sunday.

Shelbyville Triathlon #4 - Race Report

My third tri. First one this year. Prepare for Racine!

Race distance:
400 yard swim
16 mile bike
3.1 mile run

On Saturday I did not do any working out, just rest. I had my favorite pre-race meal with a friend - Buca! I was home in bed ready for sleep around 9:30 as I had decided to get up at 5:30 (the race started at 8:30). I slept pretty well and got up in the morning without much trouble. I ate my normal pre-race breakfast of PB&J, got ready, and loaded up the bike. My nerves were a complete mess! It was a good thing I didn't have the HR monitor turned on, I'm afraid to see how high my HR was this morning!! Fortunately I have some great friends who were up early and giving me advice on how to calm down!!

Ok, time to go! I had never been to the park in Shelbyville so I left really early in case I got lost! I got there about a quarter after seven and went inside to figure out where everything was supposed to be set up for the day. I grabbed my race #, timing chip, and did the body markings in no time. Headed out and drove around to the other lot and set up the bike in the transition area. Wow! It's been awhile since I've done this and I had a hard time deciding where to put everything! This would be my first race with my new bike! I got everything set up, found my friends, moved my car, and headed back indoors with no issues other than being cold. It was in the low 40s and the grass was wet so my feet were wet and cold!

It didn't seem to take too long before we were lining up to get in the pool. One person every 10 seconds. I was #116 so I had awhile! My friends were faster swimmers than me so they were ahead of me in line. So I talked to the people around me trying to keep my nerves in check. I didn't do too bad :) Feet in water - COLD! Off I went down the lane. I was pretty sure the guy behind me in line would catch me so I started off too fast. I could feel my heart rate getting too high and my breathing getting a little crazy (all before I reached the end of the first lane!). So I took my friends advice and started breathing on every stroke until I got into a better rhythm. Ok, not so bad, the guy behind me did catch me and swam right passed me. Only one other person passed me in the pool so I felt pretty good about that! I however, kept hitting the legs of the girl in front of me, but I wasn't quite fast enough to pass her without using a LOT of energy and she wouldn't let me by on the turns. Oh well, although I did almost take her out (on accident!) trying to get out of the pool as we were both at the end at the same time. So, I thought it would take me about 10 minutes and my garmin said 9:35! Wow! Much faster than I thought.

We had to run outside and down the hill (in the wet grass) to reach the bike transition area. Did I mention that it was COLD??!! So, I ran down the hill and found my bike, dried off my feet, put on my socks and shoes, put on my extra shirts, race belt, sunglasses, helmet and grabbed the bike and off I went. T1 2:45

The bike seemed really hard for the first 5-6 miles. I felt tired and could not get my breathing under control. I was shooting for 4 min/mile and so far I was clocking off a lot of 3:40s! Then came some hills, which slowed me down some but helped me get my breathing under control. I drank some powerade and was starting to feel better. So, I just kept going as hard as I could! Somewhere around 10 miles, 2 guys passed me, well somewhere around mile 14 I passed them! I just kept feeling stronger so that was good. But, I was worried about how my legs would feel on the run. The bike was over before I knew it and per my garmin I did the bike in 55:20 - that's 3:27 per  mile average! Over 17 mph! Woohoo! Feeling good now!

Got off my bike (no falling!!) and into transition. Racked the bike, changed my shoes, took off one of my shirts I had layered, grabbed my headband and off I went. T2 1:18

The run was mostly on a paved path through the park - start was uphill of course! But not for long as when I looked back at my garmin most of the first mile was downhill. Mile 1 - 8:17. Somewhere in that mile one of my friends passed me as he was headed to the finish so that gave me some motivation to keep pushing. Mile two was mostly flat but some bad terrain - some gravel and then a weird narrow bridge thing! There was water at the halfway point where we turned around so I took a cup of water, but I managed to run through it with no walking and only splashed a little water on my face! I did have to stop once to loosen the chip timer around my ankle, it was way too tight and cut my ankle, I'll have to remember next time to make sure it isn't too tight! Saw my other friend before I hit the turn around on his way back so again some motivation! Mile 2 - 8:26. Mile 3 - well if mile one was downhill, mile 3 was uphill pretty much the whole way except for about the last .1! So this mile was slower for me as my legs were getting really tired. Mile 3 8:56. Then I saw the finished line and it was downhill so I sprinted in the last bit of the race, crossed the finish line and whew I was done! Run time per my garmin was 26:05 (not bad considering my 5k PR not in a triathlon is 24:05).

We stayed to listen to the awards. I missed 3rd in my age group by less than a minute! Woohoo! So in the end I think my time was about 1:35:01, which was quite a bit faster than I expected so I was thrilled! This was a great race with a very pretty (and somewhat hilly) bike course. I didn't love the run course but for 5k it wasn't a big deal. As for my bike - I LOVE IT! It was fantastic!!!

Week 13 Training

Spring break week! Vacation cruise to the Bahamas! So I didn't do much working out! On Monday I ran for 30 minutes along Miami beach - beautiful! Tuesday I ran 5 miles on the treadmill, Wednesday nothing, Thursday 6 miles on the treadmill, Friday 3 miles on the treadmill and Saturday nothing as it was a travel day. Sunday I swam, biked, and ran. My swim was fantastic! My longest swim - 2250 yards and it felt great! I felt like I was floating better and gliding through the water! It was amazing!! More swims like that and I might not dislike swimming so much! Then I rode the bike for an hour - 14.15 miles. No falls today! The bike rode fine so I didn't hurt it last week in the fall. Then I ran 3 miles at sub 9 pace to try to get used to running after riding. It's back to reality this week ugh!

Week 12 Training

Well I definitely eased back in to training this week. After reviewing my week it doesn't look like I got in the workouts that I wanted for the week but it is probably better to get back into training slowly so I don't get hurt. I'm writing this a day early because I don't plan on working out tomorrow- you will find out why soon enough!

Training for the week went like this:

Monday - 4.12 miles of easy running
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - Easy 3 mile run and 1000 yard swim in 25:45 which is my fastest 1000 yards to date :)
Thursday - Easy 3 mile run
Friday - Long run day - 12 miles
Saturday - Bike Ride!! 21.05 miles ave pace 14.7 mph

My running this week was pretty easy so as to rest from the weekends race. On Monday my legs were very tired and heavy so Tuesday became a day off (well that and it was snowing again!). Met my swimming partner on Wednesday morning and just felt like my swim was a battle. I felt like I fought the water the whole time I was swimming. When I was done swimming I stopped my watch and it said 25:45! That is 7 seconds (yes a whole 7 seconds!) faster than my previous fastest 1000 yards (not that I'm keeping track of times or anything!!). I was super happy with that swim. On my run, my legs felt much better although we still took it easy. Thursday's run pace was slightly faster than Wednesday but still at an easy pace as Friday was going to be long run day. Friday's run had perfect weather - finally!! No snow or wind! Had a good run except for the bottom of my left foot bothering me some again. I think maybe it's time to go back to the doctor for more shots :( Then Saturday rolled around. Well it took a lot to motivate me today but I finally got my bike off the trainer and out the door. I was so glad I did, the weather was very nice and I rode for 21 miles at a pretty good pace for me. Well, at the end of my ride I stopped the bike in front of the driveway and unclipped my right foot, lost my balance, and fell to my left side. Yep. Down I went. OUCH! I knew I was not going to get my foot out in time and was going to hit the ground but when I did I was still in shock. It really hurt! I just kind of didn't move for what seemed like forever but was probably only a few seconds. Then I tried to get up quickly so as to keep someone from seeing me!! I ended up with a pretty skinned up knee, a bruised elbow and a bruised backside! The bike - yes my brand new bike - fared pretty well. I tore the seat a little but I think with a little glue it will be fine. I was very lucky! So I will likely not be doing anything tomorrow - except hopefully walking!!!

2013 Southern Illinois Spring Classic

This race is in Lawrenceville, Illinois and was the second year for the half marathon (they have a 5k too). It is described on their website as "mostly flat" (which I would agree with).

So my training for the two weeks leading up to the race were not ideal. I barely ran for two weeks. So I knew race day was going to be tough. So, I threw out the attempt for a PR and just decided to shoot for around 2 hours.

We drove out Friday night to pick up the packet - pretty uneventful. Then on Saturday morning we got up and went to the race. It started at 7:45 central time so that was 8:45 for me so I got to sleep in a little more than normal for a race, so that was nice since I had not slept much in two weeks. The temperature was going to range from about 35 to 45 in the two hour time frame I was going to be running. The wind was supposed to be no more than 10 mph. So, I decided on shorts, a tank top, and a long sleeve shirt for the run (it only took a couple of wardrobe changes!).

The race started pretty much on time - the half marathoners and the 5k runners all started at the same time. So off we went. Miles 1 and 2 I was running pretty fast. I decided to slow it down some because I didn't think I would be able to hold that pace for much longer. So I decided to try to keep it around 9 min/mile. Around mile 3 the 5k runners turned off to finish their race and we kept going. The "crowd" really thinned out now! I was really thirsty so at the water stop at mile 4 I walked through it to get some gatorade (ewww it's orange gatorade). Ok, back to running until the water stop at mile 6 where I had to stop and get my drink (and picked up a Gu) because they weren't being held out to grab on the go. So drank some more and off I went again. At almost mile 8 I think we turned right and started into the wind. It didn't bother me too much because we were going downhill and I was getting hot and the wind felt good. By about 8 1/2 miles we turned right again and into the wind even more! Yikes! It really got tough from here on out, the wind was only supposed to be up to 10 mph! I think it was at least that if not 15 mph at times. We were running on roads in the middle of a bunch of corn fields so there was no break at all from the wind.

Somewhere around mile 11 we turned right onto gravel! Yikes! I'm not used to running on gravel so I was worried about twisting an ankle so I moved over to the edge to get on more of the dirt and try to avoid the rocks. Fortunately this only lasted for a short while (less than a quarter mile I would guess)! The wind still had not let up and I was definitely getting tired. (this was my slowest mile)

Only two miles to go now though so I just pushed forward. Before long I could see the school (where we started and finished) and my motivation picked up some although it didn't feel like my pace did! We turned into the school and ran up a little and then onto the track. One lap around and it was the finish line. I pushed hard at the end but it felt like I was standing still!

I finished the race in 1:58:26. Not a PR but beat my 2 hour goal! At the finish line was my Mom and her friend cheering me in so that was pretty cool :)

I ended up coming in 7th out of 34 women and was 2nd in my age group! Not bad for not running much for two weeks!

Overall I think they did a really good job putting on this race. It started on time and there were plenty of water stops. Not only did they give out Gu but they also had Honey Stinger nutrition around mile 10 I think. I only had a couple of things I would change - if they had more volunteers it would be good for them to hold the cups out so people don't have to stop to get something to drink; the shirts need to be gender specific; and the age group awards should be broken down into the same intervals for both the 5k (5 year intervals) and the half marathon (10 year intervals).

Here is my garmin data - the heart rate data is useless though.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/288590633

Week 10 & 11 Training

Well these two weeks have been a little crazy. I've had some things come up that have almost stopped my training the last two weeks. So I decided to put the two weeks into one entry. So here is what I did do for training these last two weeks:

Monday - 2150 yard swim plus almost a 5 mile run which included 14 400 meter repeats (in some pretty strong wind too!)
Tuesday - 30 minutes 7 miles on the bike trainer and 5 mile easy run
Wednesday - 1000 yard swim 25:52 - getting faster :)
Thursday - Saturday nothing
Sunday - 5 mile easy run
Monday - nothing
Tuesday - 4 mile easy run
Wednesday - 1000 yard swim and 4 mile easy run
Thursday & Friday - nothing
Saturday -13.1 mile race - Southern Illinois Spring Classic (a separate race report will follow later)
Sunday - 2150 yard swim (my fastest one of this distance!)

Sometimes life things come up and you just have to make the best of the situation. I didn't get many workouts in but I am thankful to get in the ones that I did!

Week 9 Training

Wow! What a training week this has been! Not only a great training week but I also got my new bike!! And I love it! First though, the training for the week went like this:

Monday - had a Great swim! 2150 yards - that is just over 1.2 miles and the best part I did it in time to meet the swim cutoff in the race! Had a great run workout today too! 12 400 meter repeats! Here is my garmin info for the run:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/280545984

Tuesday - 6 mile run
Wednesday - 6 mile run
Thursday - rest day
Friday - 1000 yard swim
Saturday - 10 mile run at a 9:20 pace followed by my first ride on the new bike 11.94 miles in 49:33
Sunday - 5 mile run followed by 30.13 miles on the bike in 2:09:32

So after only 2 days and 3 hours on the bike I can already see an improvement. After 30 minutes on the road bike my left leg would hurt from my hip all the way own my leg. After the 3 hours this weekend no pain in my left leg! That is a really good sign! The seat on the new bike is going to take some getting used too though!

Here is a picture of my new bike :) (and yes I took the reflectors off!)

Week 8 Training

Monday - 1000 yard swim and 5 mile run - 2 miles warm up on the treadmill and 3 intervals on the indoor track paces were 7:41, 7:47, and 7:40 - super speedy for me!!
Tuesday - 5.11 mile run and 30 min on the bike
Wednesday - rest day
Thursday - 6.5 mile run
Friday - 1000 yard swim
Saturday - 15 mile run
Sunday - 750 yards swimming mostly drills and 30 minutes on the bike

Overall a good training week. However as you probably noticed the bike portion of the week was lacking! I'm still struggling with pain on the bike. So I went to the multisport store and talked to them and well- you guessed it - I bought a tri bike! I bought a Felt B16W. They didn't have my size so they had to order it but its supposed to be in on Thursday! Woohoo! I cannot wait for it to get here!! And I am getting a proper bike fit when it comes in so hopefully no more pain!

Worked hard on my swim this week and with some great instructors I think some progress is being made :) I plan on continuing with the drills so that I can be super ready for Racine!

Week 7 Training - A New Dilemma

A lower training week this week than I wanted but I guess I needed a break??

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3 mile run and 30 minutes (7.4 miles) on the bike trainer
Wednesday - 3.5 mile run
Thursday - 5.2 miles running and 50 minutes (11.3 miles) on the bike trainer
Friday - 1500 yard swim (a good swim!!)
Saturday - 9 miles running and 1 mile walking
Sunday - Rode outdoors! 2 hrs 12 min for 31.2 miles 14.18 mph

Well, looking back at the stats for the week, I guess I thought it was a low week because my running miles were down. Well, they were down, but my swim and bike time and distance were both up. So I guess it evened out?! It's hard for me to think it's a good training week when my running miles are down. I am sure that is because running not only my favorite but also my strongest of the three activities. As a runner, I am finding it hard to train for this triathlon as a triathlete rather than as a runner doing cross training. I think that is why I have had such a hard time coming up with a training plan (which I still do not have). The training plans are teaching you to train like a triathlete and I see myself as a runner and I feel so guilty when I don't run much! I could bike and swim everyday of the week but if my running miles were down I would feel guilty!

One thing is for certain when it comes to the bike - I need to get a proper fitting for my bike! I have had the bike for some time now and have never done a bike fit. Well, awhile back the doc said I have piriformis syndrome. If you don't know what that is well, it's kind of a pain in the butt, literally! So I've aggravated that muscle and I cannot seem to get it back in check unless I steer clear of the bike. My big dilemma is that I kind of want a tri bike :) I like the Felt B16W - well I like the pictures online anyway. So I don't know whether to get some aero bars and a bike fitting for my road bike or just save up and get the tri bike. Hmmm, maybe I could win the lottery?!

Week 6 Training

Well, this week started off very crazy at work so the first couple of days there wasn't enough time left for anything else but sleep :)

So training went like this:

Monday & Tuesday were unscheduled rest days
Wednesday 4 mile run 9:20 pace
Thursday was tempo run day about 6.5 miles total with 4 miles at: 8:51; 8:54; 8:40 & 8:45
Friday scheduled rest day
Saturday 16 mile long run at 9:51 pace
Sunday 1050 yard swim - a very hard swim

Thursday's tempo run goal pace was 4 miles at 8:45. The wind was really rough that day and definitely impacted my pace. Still it was nice to get really close to the goal with that kind of wind! It is so much easier to run hard when you have people running there with you!

So what happened on Sunday? Well, I don't know. It was just not a good swim day for me. I am sure it was partially because I had not swam in 2 weeks. It is just so hard to make yourself do something that you really don't like to do at all! Honestly, if I would have had a computer with me at the Y this morning I would have cancelled my half ironman in a heartbeat. So now I am back to struggling with motivation and whether this is really the right race for me. Maybe I should reconsider and stick to some shorter races until my swim improves? Or maybe I should just survive the swim (as my friends say)? I don't know. Hopefully now that work will calm down a bit I can get back to my routine and start to feel more confident about this race again!

2013 Greater Louisville Half Marathon Race Report

2/10/13

Today was the inaugural Greater Louisville Half Marathon in Jeffersonville. For the first year, it was overall pretty well done. Here is how it went . . .

Well leading up to the race I had spent a whole week doing nothing due to illness. 7 full days of NOTHING! Yikes! I knew this would hurt my pace but I was hoping it wouldn't hurt it too much. The week before the race I ran about 15 miles. Not much. My original goal was to beat my November time of 1:55 however, that was starting to seem unrealistic.

Saturday - Well I had hoped to get in a short easy run but it just didn't happen although I have no good excuse. So I did errands (and I took a nap!) and picked up the race packet. This was pretty uneventful. Packet pickup was located at the Sheraton in Jeffersonville. When I went, I didn't have to wait at all. I got my bib #, my chip timer, my bag of advertisements, and my shirt. Sweet, it's a tech shirt. Bummer, it's unisex so it's way too big. Saturday night, I did not choose the best pre-race meal - Moby Dick fish - it's yummy but probably not the best choice!

Sunday - The clock went off at 6 am but I was already awake. I did not sleep well at all - maybe I shouldn't have taken that nap after all. I eat my normal PB&J sandwich and get dressed to go to the race. I get ready to leave and get the car out of the garage only to find out that it's raining. I had not planned on that at all. So back in the house I went to get my running hat, my old shoes, and my running jacket. Now I have no idea what to wear during the race. It's about 40 degrees which is great except for the rain. I get to the Sheraton and change my shoes to my old shoes as I don't want my new ones getting wet. I walk in to the hotel to find a bathroom and run in to several friends that I had not seen in awhile. After catching up I went back to the car and decided to change what I had planned on wearing. Well, take my advice - don't do that!! I had planned on a tank top with a long sleeve running shirt and my capri running tights. At the last minute I decided to lose the tank top, keep the long sleeve shirt and wear the jacket. I go back in to the hotel as it is almost time to start the race and immediately regret my decision to change my outfit. The running jacket is great when it's cold but it's not that cold and I am already getting warm. Oh, and it's not raining now either.

Time for the race to start so we all head outside and the race begins. My Garmin lost the signal right away because we started under some part of the hotel :( So my garmin says I am running a 6:51 pace - well that cannot be right! I don't think I can run that pace in my dreams! The garmin clicks mile 1 long before I hit the mile marker. Bummer. Looks like it will be off the entire race. I decide to just try to keep my pace around 9 minutes/mile. We run along the river which was cool and would be really great on a pretty day. I am now running with another lady and we just pass mile 5 when the guy in the lead passed us on his way back to the finish line. Well, at least I made it to mile 5 before he went by!

Another mile and a half and I am at the turn around. There was no one at the turn around watching the runners - I found this odd as what would keep someone from turning early? Oh well, halfway now. Around mile 8.5 a lady starts to pass me - well I don't want that to happen so I try to just hang with her for as long as I can (turns out I could all the way through the finish line). When we hit the next mile marker that should have been for mile 9 - it read 10! Well, either I missed a mile and am running really fast or that is just wrong. It was definitely wrong as soon there were two mile 11's! Around mile 11 the girl I was running with and I passed an elderly man who was running the race too. He said to us that if we keep running we will still be running when we are his age - he was 70! Wow! Not sure I will be running then but if I'm still around, I hope to be! Can't believe it took me 11 miles to pass him, hope he doesn't pass me back in the last couple of miles!

Mile 12 - that one was faster and I can definitely feel it - that week off is definitely being felt at this point. That's ok, one more mile and I still have someone to run with! Her goal was to get under 2 hours which was my revised goal also. So we just pushed through it together. She had her iPhone on her arm playing music so that was nice as I forgot my iPod :(

We're getting close now, we turn left and there is one more turn and then the finish line. We make that last turn and the clock says 1:59:20 something. We pick it up and finish at 1:59:35. Wow. That was tough. My legs are DEAD! But we did it and in under 2 hours :)

Overall I thought the race was pretty well done for the first year. It started only a couple of minutes late and there were plenty of water stops with both water and gatorade. The course had some nice views of the river and would be really great on a sunny day. The results were posted very quickly. I think I saw a photographer at the finish line too. My only complaints were the mile markers being off for a few miles and the shirt - I really think all races should have gender specific shirts.

What did I learn today? I shouldn't second guess my outfit at the last minute. I won't do that again as I did get too warm on the run today. I probably should not have wore my old shoes as my legs and feet are hurting - those shoes just need to be retired! And most of all - I have to try really hard to not get sick and miss another week before my next half!!! Which is already scheduled for March 23rd . . .

Week 5 Training - Recovering!

Well, Week 5 was definitely more productive than Week 4!! I didn't get in as many workouts as my pre-sickness weeks but it was better than nothing! Work was crazy this week so there wasn't a lot of time left for training. But, here is what I did do:

Monday - Good 50 minute trainer ride 12.3 miles for 14.73 mph followed by a 5 minute cool down
Tuesday - 4 mile run with 9:29 average pace
Wednesday - 5.1 mile easy run at 10:01 pace
Thursday - this is normally a speed day but with a Half Marathon coming up on Sunday I opted to skip the speedwork for the day. Ran 5.3 miles in 51:30 for a 9:41 average pace
Friday is a scheduled rest day
Saturday - well I was so excited to not be at work that I did nothing! hehe oh well, spent some time with my boy and got ready for Sunday's race
Sunday - Ran the Inaugural Greater Louisville Half Marathon with a time of 1:59:35 - I will put out a separate race report on this one shortly.

Overall it was a decent training week even though I didn't get in enough bike rides or any swims :( Sometimes we just have to make adjustments in the schedule when recovering from illness or when work is just really crazy.

I read a running book on Saturday (since I didn't work out!) - The Hanson Marathon Method. Have you read it? I'm very intrigued. I think I might have to try it out for my next marathon. I want a PR!!

Week Four Training - Sidelined

Well as you probably know from last week's ending this week didn't start off very well! That stomach virus is a nasty bug!! http://www.cdc.gov/features/norovirus/ even though the main symptoms were gone pretty quickly some symptoms hung on for about a week.

So this week I did a lot of sleeping. I didn't work out at all until Sunday. On Sunday I swam about 1000 yards and then ran 3 miles in just under 27 minutes on the treadmill. I met friends for the swim and run at the new Y so it was pretty easy to be motivated!

So . . . The new Y - Norton Commons - what did I think of it? Overall I thought it was nice. The facility is very open and they seemed to have a lot of exercise equipment. The locker rooms were very nice. The pool was nice too and the chemicals didn't bother me like they do at some of the pools. My only real complaint is that the lap pool only had 3 lanes :(

So I am not going to let the week of inactivity worry me because there is still plenty of time to train before Racine. I am gong to take it easy this next week and come back slowly so I don't wear myself out and end up sick again.

Week Three Training

Well this was a productive week - until the end . . .

Monday - 5.14 mile run and 6.44 miles (30 minutes) on the bike - this Monday was not as hard as prior Mondays so I felt like I am improving and getting accustomed to all of the weekend workouts
Tuesday - well this became an unscheduled rest day as my son got the stomach bug :(
Wednesday - easy 3 mile run
Thursday - running speed day! Easy 1.2 mile warm up then tempo time with a goal of 5 miles at 8:40 pace. Actual pace for those 5 miles ended up at 8:38 :) yahoo! Then a little over a mile cool down. In the evening I rode the bike for 30 min and ended up with 7.5 miles. Speed day all day :) these were great workouts and really helped my confidence!
Friday - as usual a scheduled rest day. I considered working out since I missed Tuesday but work got in the way so I stuck with the rest day.
Saturday - 17 mile run! Felt better than last weeks 15 miler and finished with a comfortable 9:51 pace overall with the second half faster than the first.

But by 3 pm on Saturday I had the stomach bug! :( oh no! I hope none of you get this bug as it really was awful! So then Sunday became an I am sleeping all day kind of day! So that is what I did.

Although I missed a day of hard workouts I know that there is plenty of time to make up that day before the race. So I am going to rest for a couple of days and come back healthy and ready to keep moving forward with my training.

Week Two Training

I've survived week two of training :) It went like this:

Monday - 4 mile run and 30 min (7 miles) bike
Tuesday - 5.2 mile run
Wednesday - Well life and mother nature got in the way today so an unscheduled rest day
Thursday - Tempo run day! About 7.5 total miles running with 5 miles faster like this: 8:50; 8:50; 8:50; 8:40; 8:30 followed later that night by a 30 minute bike ride
Friday - Scheduled Rest Day :)
Saturday - 15 mile long run
Sunday -1650 yard swim and 2 hours (just over 27 miles) on the bike trainer

Overall a good week of training. I was very happy with my tempo run this week and felt great!

It really is so much easier to do the training when you have other people to train with during the week. On Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday I ran with several people from work and it made the training runs so much easier! That 15 miles on Saturday just flew by and the tempo run didn't seem so hard (well the last mile did!). And swimming -well those of you that know me know that I hate swimming!!!! But today, with friends, it was actually fun :)

It also helps to have others training for the same event as you - someone to hold you accountable!

Since I started running a few years ago, I have met so many new and wonderful people! I am very lucky!

Week One Training

Well I have now made it through my first week of training since making the decision to follow through with the half ironman. So, how did it go? Well it went like this:

Monday - 4.1 mile easy run; 7 mile (30 min) bike
Tuesday - 5.15 mile easy run
Wednesday - 4 mile run with 2 miles at a tempo pace
Thursday - 5.37 mile run including a warm up 3 miles tempo and cool down; 7.26 mile (30 min) bike
Friday - rest day
Saturday - long run day 10 miles
Sunday - 1300 meter swim; 1 1/2 hrs (20.28 miles) on the bike

The workouts this week have all went very well. During my runs I had a lot of energy, legs felt good and I hit good paces on the hard runs. For the bike rides they went well too; however the long ride on the trainer is hard mentally! I never would have made it without some good episodes of Criminal Minds on the DVR!! Now for the swim - yuck! Well it wasn't that bad, the first 500 meters were a little rough but then I managed to get into a groove and felt pretty good by the end of the swim. I know after today's swim that I need to spend a lot more time in the water before July!!

Overall I think the first week went very well! The hardest part this week has been my diet :( it was not as good as I wanted it to be. So this week I will work on that too!

A special thanks

A special thanks to two people I met through running that really helped me make the decision to continue on with the half ironman. You two ladies ROCK! It is great to have good friends :)

And another thanks to one of those two who helped me come up with the name for this blog!

I look forward to training with you both!! After all someone has to get me through this swim thing :)

Decisions

So awhile back I signed up for a half ironman. It's 7/21/13 in Racine WI. Ok, what was I thinking?? I can barely swim, biking oh well that's okay I guess. But running, that's what I love! So the last month I have really been having second thoughts about the half ironman. Maybe I should just bow out now - before I drown in Lake Michigan! I mean after all there is the expense of the event, the hotel, and travel, plus all the training. How will I ever find time for it all and still spend time with my son?? So now it's January and I still couldn't decide on the half ironman. I have no plan for training and I really don't care for the training programs that I have found so far. I really just want to run!

So I had almost decided to pull the plug on the half ironman when the other day I was getting ready for the 10 mile race and I saw someone I know but not very well and haven't seen in a long time. He asked me about the half ironman and told me what a great accomplishment it would be. So what? Many people have already told me that very same thing. But somehow this time it hit me. Wow! It really will be such an amazing accomplishment! Why it hit me this time and not before I do not know - maybe it was the repetition of hearing those words so many times. So my mind is made up.

For many months to come you will be hearing about my preparations for this event. I have made my decision - I am doing it and I am going to give it my all!