Monday, August 15, 2011

Aftermath.

Not too surprised, I'm kinda sore today. Especially in my calves and hamstrings. I'm also tired and generally achey all over but I think that is this darn cold and not from the tri.

Did some stretching today. Planning to go for a walk tomorrow. I've got a super busy week ahead of me but I am going to try and find some time for a soak in the hot tub at my gym.

Other than the cold I think I am definitely faring better than I did last year.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Race report.

First off, it was a perfect day. Not too warm. No strong winds to interfere with biking. Just lovely and sunny and wonderful. Great day for a swim. And a bike ride. And a walk!

I arrived at the course around 7am. Got all checked in, set up my stuff in my rack and chatted with the women nearby. One of the best parts about the YWCA Women's Tri is the friendly, supportive atmosphere. Sure, it's competition, but people still want to have fun. Even though it was busy, I still had plenty of time to check my valuables into the bag check, get my timing chip, get body-marked, go pee and even grab some coffee before heading down to the beach.

The swim part was awesome. The water was not cold, but cool enough that it took me a minute or two to get used to it. But I quickly got into a good rhythm. I completely obliterated last year's swim time, and managed to NOT get kicked in the head. Yay! My first transition went well. I made sure to drink some water this time, and have a gel. Even though I did not improve my bike time from last year, the bike part went so much better. Less seat discomfort for sure. But also I didn't get as tired. It really was not until after mile ten that I started to hit a wall and then part of that was because I forgot to downshift into a lower gear. I thought I was losing steam but it turned out I was just working too hard. Doh! The second transition was a little rough. I was tired and having a hard time getting my bike racked and I almost fell. But I grabbed a gel and some more water and was on my way in decent time. I'm a little amused that the walk went faster this year. Last year I walked (more like limped) the first mile and then walk/ran the rest. This year I just power-walked. The lesson here is: I RUN SLOW. The only time I ran this year was the last few yards as I approached the finish. I got a sudden huge burst of energy and just busted into a run. Nice way to finish.

I actually felt pretty good throughout the race. I got tired at the 10 mile mark on the bike course but I powered through it. When I finished I was tired but not exhausted. And now this evening I'm a little sore but not in pain, really. Overall I think the whole thing went a lot better this year.

Some things I would like to do next year:

Buy a tri suit. It would be nice to not have to struggle to put pants on while wet. I bet that would cut my first transition time in half. Also the pants I wore today were too loose in the crotch and they bunched up and made for uncomfortable friction while biking. My inner thighs are RAW right now.

Get a better bike. I'm riding a Hard Rock mountain bike with road tires. It's actually a nice bike and I'm grateful to have it. (I got it for free from a friend who was not using it) But it's not made to go fast, and the frame is a bit small for me. I don't want a racing bike, just a nice road bike. Something that fits me. I'd love to see what I could accomplish with some better equipment. Someday I'd love to see my bike time closer to an hour- or even under an hour.

Results!

Total Time 2:45:28

Swim 13:27
TRN1 4:09
Bike 1:32:49
TRN2 2:24
Walk 52:40

Overall placement 955, division placement 159/162

Slower than last year's total, but by less than 1 minute. Considering I don't feel like I trained as hard this year, I'm not disappointed. I was hoping to beat my bike time, and I think I would have but... well I will explain that in the post-race report.

I am in way better shape right now than I was after last year's race. Sore but not in pain. Tired but not exhausted. I think I did good today. =)

Saturday, August 13, 2011

One more sleep

Race day is tomorrow.

I slept really late today and then went to the mall. My cold seems to not be getting worse, so there's hope for tomorrow. I got some Day Quil though, just in case.

I spent some time tinkering with my bike tonight. Air in the tires. New seat post bag with a few tools and a tire patch kit. Air pump and water bottle holder attached to the frame. I put on new handle bar ends earlier this week. they make my bike look like a funny mutant, but the new height is much more comfortable.

I washed my race clothes tonight and packed my bag for tomorrow. Ran to the store to pick up some stuff for my pre-race breakfast. Then I got home and looked at the bus schedule and remembered how long it takes to get to the race course. Looks like I will be having a peanut butter sandwich on the bus instead of peanut butter toast at home. Oh well.

I should probably be in bed already. I'm nervous. Contemplating taking a NyQuil, but I don't want to feel sluggish in the morning.

Ugh... better try and get some sleep. 5am will come quicker than I'd like.

WTF?

I have a cold.

I woke up yesterday with a runny nose and hoped it was seasonal allergies, even though I don't really get those. Today my throat is sore and I feel kinda foggy.

My nose is still runny. Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow. I don't plan on missing the tri, but it will be a lot harder if I'm not feeling well.

Also, biking with a runny nose is going to SUCK.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Two more sleeps...

Picked up my race packet tonight. I wasn't planning to attend the course talk but ended up arriving just as the 6pm one was about to start so decided to stay. Briefly chatted with a first-timer. She seemed encouraged that I had enough fun last year that I decided to come back.

Well, I don't know if fun is the right word. I found the event itself grueling. Especially since my bike caused me so much pain. (should be better this year) But at the same time it is... gratifying? Empowering? Definitely rewarding. I enjoy the "Wonder Woman" feeling afterwards. I enjoy the feeling of camaraderie I get when I see other athletes cheering each other on. Since I'm not very speedy, I get the enjoyment of watching people's ages as they run pass me on the run course. (we all get our ages marked on the back of our leg before we start) I happen to love being passed up by women old enough to be my mom. I like to hope that getting into fitness in my 30s will ensure that I can still be active well past my 50s.

The event website has this "I tri" motto. If someone were to ask me why "I tri", I would say, I do it because I CAN. There was a time in my life when I never would have thought I could do something like this. How many great experiences do we miss out on simply because we think to ourselves "oh, I could never do that." ?

Monday, August 8, 2011

Squee!

Race number 229, wave 4.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Who needs Skechers Shape Ups?

I went out for a friend's birthday last night. I wore a pair of sandals that I don't normally wear. Sort of platform-y flip flops with sparkly straps. They must have been some kind of workout on my legs, though, because I'm a bit sore today. Crazy!

I'm planning a walk/swim bric workout tonight. Then a long bike ride on Saturday. After that it's light duty until the tri next Sunday.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Hop hope hope

The extended forecast is showing a cooldown into next week with highs of 80-81 and lows in the upper 60s.

It would be so nice to have relatively cool weather for the tri.

Whiny whining post

Wah... everything hurts. Why do I hurt all over? Why?

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

It's a mystery.

It seems like lately I have been having some days where physical activity is just plain DIFFICULT. For seemingly no reason. Last week, for example I had trouble trekking up the stairs to my friend's third floor condo. I felt winded and dizzy when I got to her door. I live in a third floor apartment! I go up an down several flights of stairs every day. This should not be an issue for me. This morning I had a doctor's appointment. I rode my bike there (maybe a mile), and on the way home decided to take a little jaunt around Lake of the Isles. An easy, maybe 4 mile ride, and one I do often. But today? Today it was so. much. work.

I can't figure out what the deal is. I don't think it's because I am dehydrated or not eating enough. I'm getting plenty of sleep. I have been feeling a little down in the dumps, lately. But that can't make it hard to move... can it? (it does make it hard to stay motivated)