Seems like I have been doing a lot of racing during the month of June, actually this month has just been a lot of everything, racing, yoga training, summer school, but that is me, I just like to be busy and not sitting around. So this weekend I decided to compete in the Olympic Distance at the Wisconsin Tritenium. I had not heard of this race until my friend, Maxine mentioned it to me earlier this year. I was trying to figure out races to compete in and at the time none were looking all that appealing. I wanted to keep this year's races to Olympics or less as far as triathlons were. So I decided to sign up.
Now since I have returned from my yoga training in Sedona, I can't exactly say I have felt like myself. My sleep patterns are all over the place, probably should stop the 2-3 hour naps after summer school. Friday I felt pretty good on my pre-race workout. However, things seem to be a little crazy after that. I went to the dentist, only to have the receptionist tell me she changed my appointment until 10 AM instead of 9AM, really because where am I going to go now. Then I looked at my checking account, the hotel charged me twice for my stay. I called there and the lady said I had to call me bank, that it was their error, of course the bank says otherwise. Basically the hotel just had to send me information and a release so I could have the money back in my account Saturday morning. You would think that would be easy. Nope, as I am driving up to the Madison/Verona area I get a call from the bank, the hotel messed up some of the information, so I call them and I get the manager. I have to say I have been so disappointed with customer service these days. People are just rude. This guy was not any different. He of course tells me it's the bank and I have to call them back, but I better hurry because he's leaving in 20 minutes and if he doesn't fix it, it won't get changed. Okay, so how bout you just resend the information? So I call the bank back and asked the guy to three way call the hotel. The manager starts ripping on me. I was like are you kidding me. Finally the teller from the bank says umm, she is on the phone. Then they start to argue with each other. I was like are you kidding me? So finally we get it figured out that the hotel manager is going to send the fax again. He claimed he was hanging up until he heard me say, if this is how they are going to treat customers I will not ever return this hotel. Then he decided to tell me he was still on the line. Hey good, because I am not kidding and by the way, I have friends that stay here frequently when they come to ride the Madison course. Finally that gets fixed and the money was back in my account this morning.
I go to the Trek store in Madison to pick up my packet. Now I am notorious for forgetting stuff. Sure enough I did this time. I forgot a sandwich for the morning and body glide. I stopped at Walgreens and got some stuff for a peanut butter sandwich. After eating dinner I finally got to the hotel, a little worried about what was going to happen. Well, the staff that was there was very nice and made me feel at home. I went to my room and watched the Olympic trials for a little bit and then off to bed.
I got up at 4:30 to get ready for the race, ate my sandwich and then headed over to the course. It is a good thing I like to be early, got great parking. As I walking in, this is actually when I remembered that I left my body glide at home. I listen to the race director talking and he said the water was 80 degrees. This race is not a USAT sanctioned race, so I could wear my wetsuit without missing out on awards if I placed. I kind of pondered and then asked a lady by me if I could use her glide around my neck, wrists, and ankles, She was fine with that. Still pondering, I discovered a hole in my wetsuit, okay decision made, no wetsuit. They have a sprint and Olympic course here, the sprint went first. I sat around and eventually started to chat with some gentlemen around me. I guess last year this race was cut short due to the storms. As I got to the bike course I realized why the times in my age group from last year seemed so fast.
7:44 my wave took off for the swim. This course has a three loop swim, you have to get out, run over the map on each loop. I have to say, I really didn't care for that. I was fine running around, but getting back in, it took me a little to get back into my groove. I was also glad that I didn't wear the wetsuit. I am one of those people that is always cold and I felt like I was boiling in that water. Finally I am done with the swim, run out and get to the transition area, got on the bike, and off I went.
Now the bike is advertised as being on part of the Ironman Wisconsin course. That is true for about 2-3 minutes of the bike. If anyone has ever started the bike at Fireman's Park, you head under the bridge and then take the right up the hill. After the hill we went left, instead of right. This is where I really realized how much of the race last year must have been cut short. Holy hills. For anyone training for Ironman Wisconsin, the bike course for the Olympic is a great reason to do this race. There were very few flats and lot of long or steep or both hills. I am pretty sure that within the first five miles of the bike I MF'ed the course several times. What the hell was I thinking? The bike is a kind of a two looper. We have to do the square twice. There were some hills, I was like are there yet? So on this square is Observatory Road. We were told in the preview that after the downhill we would be making a left hand turn. Yeah, this downhill is one of those that you could probably go 35+ mph at least without pedaling at all. Needless to say I knew the turn was coming, so I kept gently braking on the way down. Then you make the turn and you have to go back uphill, this is where I made a bonehead move and switched gears too fast. Crap, there goes my chain. I nearly bit it, but I was able to get over to the side safely and fix my chain. As I was getting ready to go, one of the volunteers ran over to me and gave me push up to get started. That was nice of him. Okay, up there and past a few more hills I am not starting the second square. A lady from Madison Multisport was passing me and she says "okay, onto loop 2." We went back and forth a little bit on this loop and one time as she was passing me I was like we don't have these hills in Illinois. She laughed and said, well, this course is tough, even for those of us from Wisconsin. So the next time I got to Observatory, I left my gears on a easier gear so that when I switched to my small ring, I wouldn't lose my chain again. I thanked the man who helped me and went on. As I was going up the hill after Observatory, I felt a mini spasm in my back. REALLY, hell no, don't even start I am not stopping. This went on a few more times on my way to the bike in.
I started on the run. Now this is usually my favorite part of triathlons, not so much today. A gentlemen caught me about a quarter mile into the run as asked if I was having fun. My response was to be honest, no, I feel awful right now. Oh the run is also 3 loops. In my head, I am thinking well, the run should be flat. WRONG. About a half mile into the run we take a right turn and go up. My first thought is I have to go up this hill three times, ahh damn it all. Needless to say my run up the hill was more like a trout, but I was bound and determined that I was not going to walk. It's six miles, there is no walking damn it. I get done with the first loop and go through to hit the mats (yes we had to run over the mats 3 times to make sure no one cheated). During the run I saw my friend from Madison. She would say hello Illinois and I would reply, hello Wisconsin. So now I have a goal, lets see if I can catch her and maybe have someone to run with. I did end up catching her a little bit after mile 4, but she told me to go ahead because she was going to walk. There was another girl that I was chummy with on the bike that I would see on the run. We'd cheer each other on too. I have to say, it was a friendly competition, maybe because we were all hurting from the bike. Finally I see mile 6 and make the turn to the finish.
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I grabbed some water and a lady asked how I was. I told her I was a little dizzy. She informed me there were paramedics. Hmm, a few of those guys are cute, but I passed. The crazy part was that after I went to get my results I stood in the shade for a little bit. I was sweating uncontrollably. That made some sense because I was not sweating on the run, which did make me a little nervous. Only problem now was that I couldn't stop sweating. I decided to leave. I was 10th in my age group. While, I was disappointed in my run split, I was happy. I gave a lot on the bike and it did probably cost me in the run, but I can say that I didn't leave anything on the course. I would recommend this race as a trainer if you are considering Ironman Wisconsin. Honestly, I didn't like the 3 loops on the swim and run, but the bike course was awesome. If I ever do Ironman Wisconsin again, I would sign up for this race, just based on the bike. In all honestly the 3 loops on the run didn't bother me a lot because I was like oh I am back here again. Afterwards I headed back to Illinois for a graduation party. My cousins wanted to know why I wasn't swimming, hmmm. They were like you can swim in your triathlon suit. Umm, no it is nasty and going into the wash.
I get a little break from triathlons and I think in that time, I am going to work on riding hills.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Pleasant Prairie
Today I competed in the Pleasant Prairie Triathlon. We had some Tri Smart people going up. I went up Thursday to pick up packets for myself and a few friends. To start today, I got up at 2:15 AM. Now those of you that know me well, know I am an early riser, but even that is early for me. I was like what the hell am I thinking. I left my house about 2:45 to meet BFF (Jim) at the Lifetime in Burr Ridge. We drove up together and chatted about what we wanted to do in the race. We got there and were able to park near our friends, Bernie and MJ. BFF and I were competing in the sprint, MJ, Bernie, Forest, Brian, and Liz were competing in the Olympic Distance. While we were all sitting in transition the announcer stated that the bike portion of the Olympic was short because there was construction. I wasn't doing the Olympic distance, but that sucks. At 5:45 we took a group shot and did our last minute stuff before having to leave transition.
The Olympic Distance waves went first. BFF, Forest and I sat around for a little bit and then Bernie and MJ joined us. We made some jokes that triathletes make amongst each other. Then Forest's wave took off followed by Bernie and then MJ. Now for whatever reason, I had it in my head that my wave took off at 7:21. I was looking for other women with purple caps and they weren't anywhere to be seen. Finally one girl came by me. I was like umm, aren't we suppose to go at 7:21, she said no, we were the last wave. Last wave again, okay fine. I wished BFF one final good luck before he took off. Then it was my turn, I put myself in the front with my group. We took off and I start catching some of the guys from the wave in front of me (white caps), then a few from the wave in front of them (black caps), then some ladies from the wave in front of the black caps. I was like, okay, I'm swimming well, despite that I have only swam once in the last 2 weeks. I was little warm in my wetsuit, but that was okay, it wasn't that bad. Out of the swim and into transition. I felt like I was in there for ever.
I finally got out to the bike course. After the first hill, which was shortly out of transition, I felt my legs starting to turn and thought, this is going to be a pretty good bike. I just concentrated on staying strong and focusing on the person or people in front of me. There were a few turns that I slowed down because I was like oh sharp turn. Towards the last 3 miles Bernie caught me. He was on loop 2 for the Olympic Distance. It was nice to hear a familiar voice. As I was making my way back to transition, there was a section where the Olympic Distance athletes had to make a U-turn to go on the second loop. Well, that was a bad spot. Two bikers collided right there. I was like Oh my god. They both fell hard, but both got up with road rash and carried on. Awesome. Off the bike and into transition I got my running shoes on and then put my hat on as I was on the way out.
I started off on the run and just kept concentrating on my form. Prior to leaving for my yoga training my read end started to bother me. After looking at my shoes, I discovered I needed new shoes and took care of that before I left for training. I do not start my watch in races because then I am constantly looking at it. Basically I just kept trying to get the people in front of me. The run does a lot of out and backs on the Olympic course. Needless at our turnaround I was happy to be going the opposite way. So okay, just a little over a mile to go, lets see what I have left in the tank. Normally this is a bad idea for me, but today I did alright and did not throw up at the finish (sorry that I disappointed you Bernie, I will try not to disappoint you in my future races). After I finished I went back to find BFF and we cheered on the others as they came in.
We had a great showing by Tri Smart. BFF was 2nd in his age group, MJ was 2nd in her age group, Bernie won his age group, and I was 3rd in my age group. Overall I was happy with my race, I would have liked a faster time on my run, but that is okay, there are plenty more races this season. WAY TO GO TRI SMART!!!!!!!!
The Olympic Distance waves went first. BFF, Forest and I sat around for a little bit and then Bernie and MJ joined us. We made some jokes that triathletes make amongst each other. Then Forest's wave took off followed by Bernie and then MJ. Now for whatever reason, I had it in my head that my wave took off at 7:21. I was looking for other women with purple caps and they weren't anywhere to be seen. Finally one girl came by me. I was like umm, aren't we suppose to go at 7:21, she said no, we were the last wave. Last wave again, okay fine. I wished BFF one final good luck before he took off. Then it was my turn, I put myself in the front with my group. We took off and I start catching some of the guys from the wave in front of me (white caps), then a few from the wave in front of them (black caps), then some ladies from the wave in front of the black caps. I was like, okay, I'm swimming well, despite that I have only swam once in the last 2 weeks. I was little warm in my wetsuit, but that was okay, it wasn't that bad. Out of the swim and into transition. I felt like I was in there for ever.
I finally got out to the bike course. After the first hill, which was shortly out of transition, I felt my legs starting to turn and thought, this is going to be a pretty good bike. I just concentrated on staying strong and focusing on the person or people in front of me. There were a few turns that I slowed down because I was like oh sharp turn. Towards the last 3 miles Bernie caught me. He was on loop 2 for the Olympic Distance. It was nice to hear a familiar voice. As I was making my way back to transition, there was a section where the Olympic Distance athletes had to make a U-turn to go on the second loop. Well, that was a bad spot. Two bikers collided right there. I was like Oh my god. They both fell hard, but both got up with road rash and carried on. Awesome. Off the bike and into transition I got my running shoes on and then put my hat on as I was on the way out.
I started off on the run and just kept concentrating on my form. Prior to leaving for my yoga training my read end started to bother me. After looking at my shoes, I discovered I needed new shoes and took care of that before I left for training. I do not start my watch in races because then I am constantly looking at it. Basically I just kept trying to get the people in front of me. The run does a lot of out and backs on the Olympic course. Needless at our turnaround I was happy to be going the opposite way. So okay, just a little over a mile to go, lets see what I have left in the tank. Normally this is a bad idea for me, but today I did alright and did not throw up at the finish (sorry that I disappointed you Bernie, I will try not to disappoint you in my future races). After I finished I went back to find BFF and we cheered on the others as they came in.
We had a great showing by Tri Smart. BFF was 2nd in his age group, MJ was 2nd in her age group, Bernie won his age group, and I was 3rd in my age group. Overall I was happy with my race, I would have liked a faster time on my run, but that is okay, there are plenty more races this season. WAY TO GO TRI SMART!!!!!!!!
Baptiste Level 1 training
Wow, so much has been going on in the last two weeks, I went to my Baptiste Level 1 training in Sedona, Arizona. I left Friday June 8th to travel to Sedona. I had to fly into Phoenix and then we took a shuttle to the information center in Sedona. From there we took another shuttle to Mago Garden. This was an experience. We drove 10 miles up a bumpy dirt road. It was very secluded. During the course of the ride to Mago Garden, I saw something fly in front of the car. The driver told the four of us in the van that it was a bat. I was like are you kidding me, bats, I do not want anything to do with bats. Then he also proceeded to tell me that he had seen a mountain lion once or twice. DUDE, why are you telling me this, I am going to be walking around at night. Are you kidding me? We finally get to the reception area. They were nice and stayed open because we arrived late. I found out what room I was in and went to meet my roommate. My roommate was from Boston, awesome young lady.
Saturday we didn't start anything until 6 PM, so we spent most of the day walking around the retreat area and taking pictures. At dinner, the assistants that were a part of the level 1 training gave us an idea of what kind of time schedule to expect and who we would need to go if we needed something. Now, this retreat is secluded as I mentioned, once you are there, you are there, if you leave, you leave for good. There are no stores like Walmart, Jewel, Walgreens, etc. We did have coin operated laundry, but most of us decided to wash our clothes in the shower and let them dry in the heat, after all it was dry. There was a gift shop in the Welcome Center where we could get some supplies if we needed them. There was also a lounge in the Welcome Center with WiFi. Cell phone reception was not very good.
After dinner we all went into Mago Hall, where we would have chair sessions and practice yoga. It was there that Baron Baptiste made his appearance. We practiced yoga for about an hour and half, then had a few minutes to change and come back to a chair session. Afterwards we went to sleep for the night. We were up early the next morning for breakfast and a hike. During the hike we talked with people in the group. After the hike we went into Mago Hall for a yoga practice. This was where I lost it the first time. We were in the middle of a practice and my mind was all over the place. Baron stopped the practice to break down some of the poses we do during yoga. I kept thinking to myself, what am I doing here, I am going home, what was I thinking. Funny, how the mind works because as soon as I thought to myself, I am going home, my next thought was, umm where the hell are you going to go, you don't know anyone here, your flight does not leave until Saturday, get it together. I was also crying at this point, but no one would have noticed because I was so sweaty. Finally I got it together and I was like, just take it one hour at a time, stop thinking so far ahead.
I got to realize this was going to be intense, but in the end I would be happy and enjoying life. To describe the intensity, mentally I felt like I was doing an Ironman everyday. The physical practice itself was fine for me for the most part. I did struggle with the chair sessions, but I am glad we did them. The chair sessions gave all of us a chance to work through junk we were going through. I was not one for getting in front of the group for my own personal reasons, but that didn't mean that I was not going to be in front of the group. Tuesday night during a chair session we had to make a commitment to the group. We each stood up and made the commitment. As I started, Baron stopped me and told me to come in front of the group. Funny thing was I was talking to a gentlemen prior to having to do this and I said I am sure at some point I will be in front of the group, kind of figured it would that night after I said that. After I went back to my seat, he was like oh you didn't seem nervous at all. I was like I just wanted to make my commitment and sit down.
At night, starting about the 3rd day of training we started to do practice teachings. We were in groups of 6-7. My group was a group of 6 and we were called Fireworks, basically if you sing the lyrics to the Katie Perry song, that was why were called Fireworks. We had a lot of fun with each other. My birthday fell on that Wednesday of the training. They made it so special since I was not at home in my friendly confines. Wednesday was also one of those days, where I could have done a swim workout on my mat based on how much I sweated. I believe we did 10 wheels ( back bends) that day. I had put a towel under my hands so they wouldn't slip, I should have got one for my feet. On probably the 8th wheel, I started to slip at my feet, but then all the sudden there was a hand under my back. It was the gentleman next to me, giving me a boost. I was like thank you so much. Wednesday night instead of doing a chair we met the director of the retreat area. He did a practice with that followed the Tao Fellowship. For a portion of this, I laughed hysterically. As we were warming our bodies up, we would pat our bodies. So whenever any of you hear me say something like hello sexy thighs, I love you. This is where that started.
Wednesday night, we were told that Thursday was going to be the most intense day. It for sure was. The practice probably went for about four hours. I think we did 8-10 crow poses and then a ton of hip openers. Now I was warned that Baron liked to hold certain poses for like 20 minutes, that didn't happen. However, for whatever reason I was going into half pigeon on my left side and just started to cry. To this day, I really don't know why. I was trying so hard not to cry. We went into savassana ( final resting pose) and I was just whimpering because I was trying so hard not to cry. I could feel my lips shaking because I was trying so hard not to cry. One of the girls from my small group was practicing next to me. She must have heard me whimpering and grabbed my hand to give it a squeeze, as if to say, it is going to be okay. When we ended the practice, I looked around, I was not the only one that was crying. The room was filled with people. I finally left with my new friends and went to shower. In the afternoon we had a 75 minute session after chairs. The only thing I am going to say about that, is that you really learned a lot about yourself and personality during that time. Kind of like sending mind messages to one another.
We did some fun things at night. There were a couple times we danced and let loose.
The rest of the week I felt so good about my decision to stay. I enjoyed myself, met a lot of new friends. The assistants that were there were awesome. Many of them have their own studios and projects. Two we heard about were the Africa Yoga Project and Yoga for Wounded Warriors. I plan to support both as much as I can. Overall, I enjoyed my experience. Everyone was awesome and made me feel right at home. I am looking forward to teaching yoga and doing some other certifications that relate. I am attaching some pictures that I took while I was out in Sedona.
Saturday we didn't start anything until 6 PM, so we spent most of the day walking around the retreat area and taking pictures. At dinner, the assistants that were a part of the level 1 training gave us an idea of what kind of time schedule to expect and who we would need to go if we needed something. Now, this retreat is secluded as I mentioned, once you are there, you are there, if you leave, you leave for good. There are no stores like Walmart, Jewel, Walgreens, etc. We did have coin operated laundry, but most of us decided to wash our clothes in the shower and let them dry in the heat, after all it was dry. There was a gift shop in the Welcome Center where we could get some supplies if we needed them. There was also a lounge in the Welcome Center with WiFi. Cell phone reception was not very good.
After dinner we all went into Mago Hall, where we would have chair sessions and practice yoga. It was there that Baron Baptiste made his appearance. We practiced yoga for about an hour and half, then had a few minutes to change and come back to a chair session. Afterwards we went to sleep for the night. We were up early the next morning for breakfast and a hike. During the hike we talked with people in the group. After the hike we went into Mago Hall for a yoga practice. This was where I lost it the first time. We were in the middle of a practice and my mind was all over the place. Baron stopped the practice to break down some of the poses we do during yoga. I kept thinking to myself, what am I doing here, I am going home, what was I thinking. Funny, how the mind works because as soon as I thought to myself, I am going home, my next thought was, umm where the hell are you going to go, you don't know anyone here, your flight does not leave until Saturday, get it together. I was also crying at this point, but no one would have noticed because I was so sweaty. Finally I got it together and I was like, just take it one hour at a time, stop thinking so far ahead.
I got to realize this was going to be intense, but in the end I would be happy and enjoying life. To describe the intensity, mentally I felt like I was doing an Ironman everyday. The physical practice itself was fine for me for the most part. I did struggle with the chair sessions, but I am glad we did them. The chair sessions gave all of us a chance to work through junk we were going through. I was not one for getting in front of the group for my own personal reasons, but that didn't mean that I was not going to be in front of the group. Tuesday night during a chair session we had to make a commitment to the group. We each stood up and made the commitment. As I started, Baron stopped me and told me to come in front of the group. Funny thing was I was talking to a gentlemen prior to having to do this and I said I am sure at some point I will be in front of the group, kind of figured it would that night after I said that. After I went back to my seat, he was like oh you didn't seem nervous at all. I was like I just wanted to make my commitment and sit down.
At night, starting about the 3rd day of training we started to do practice teachings. We were in groups of 6-7. My group was a group of 6 and we were called Fireworks, basically if you sing the lyrics to the Katie Perry song, that was why were called Fireworks. We had a lot of fun with each other. My birthday fell on that Wednesday of the training. They made it so special since I was not at home in my friendly confines. Wednesday was also one of those days, where I could have done a swim workout on my mat based on how much I sweated. I believe we did 10 wheels ( back bends) that day. I had put a towel under my hands so they wouldn't slip, I should have got one for my feet. On probably the 8th wheel, I started to slip at my feet, but then all the sudden there was a hand under my back. It was the gentleman next to me, giving me a boost. I was like thank you so much. Wednesday night instead of doing a chair we met the director of the retreat area. He did a practice with that followed the Tao Fellowship. For a portion of this, I laughed hysterically. As we were warming our bodies up, we would pat our bodies. So whenever any of you hear me say something like hello sexy thighs, I love you. This is where that started.
Wednesday night, we were told that Thursday was going to be the most intense day. It for sure was. The practice probably went for about four hours. I think we did 8-10 crow poses and then a ton of hip openers. Now I was warned that Baron liked to hold certain poses for like 20 minutes, that didn't happen. However, for whatever reason I was going into half pigeon on my left side and just started to cry. To this day, I really don't know why. I was trying so hard not to cry. We went into savassana ( final resting pose) and I was just whimpering because I was trying so hard not to cry. I could feel my lips shaking because I was trying so hard not to cry. One of the girls from my small group was practicing next to me. She must have heard me whimpering and grabbed my hand to give it a squeeze, as if to say, it is going to be okay. When we ended the practice, I looked around, I was not the only one that was crying. The room was filled with people. I finally left with my new friends and went to shower. In the afternoon we had a 75 minute session after chairs. The only thing I am going to say about that, is that you really learned a lot about yourself and personality during that time. Kind of like sending mind messages to one another.
We did some fun things at night. There were a couple times we danced and let loose.
The rest of the week I felt so good about my decision to stay. I enjoyed myself, met a lot of new friends. The assistants that were there were awesome. Many of them have their own studios and projects. Two we heard about were the Africa Yoga Project and Yoga for Wounded Warriors. I plan to support both as much as I can. Overall, I enjoyed my experience. Everyone was awesome and made me feel right at home. I am looking forward to teaching yoga and doing some other certifications that relate. I am attaching some pictures that I took while I was out in Sedona.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Tri for two
This weekend I decided to compete in two triathlons. I have never done two in a row, so I figured what the hell. My goal coming into the weekend was to place in my age group in both races. I fell short of that, but none the less I am happy with what I accomplished this weekend.
Saturday morning I got up and met up with my friends Jim and Bryan in Lockport. We drove together down to Bloomington for Tri Shark. Tri Shark was a sprint distance triathlon which was a 600 swim, 13 miles on the bike, and a 5K run. Sprints kind of vary. I kind of felt like I was back in college since ISU is not too far away from where we were at. I actually remember that I did a run there while my friend Kim was racing. We got to the park and set up our bikes and stuff in transition. Before the race started, the race director took time to honor our friend Bernie's son. Brendan returned home after serving in Afghanistan and was getting married on Sunday. Then the Star Spangled Banner was played, totally AWESOME!!!!!!!!!. I was in the 5th wave with all the 39 and under women. A few friends from Tri Smart were in there with me and my friend, Christine from school. We took off for the swim. The first few strokes out there were fast because I wanted to get away from people and I had the oh crap (insert other word) effect when my first hit the cold water. After a few more strokes that went away. I got into my grove and the next thing I knew I was getting out of the water. The one thing I didn't like and I have seen this at a few triathlons was the mats that catch you time were at transition and not right when you got out of the water. Just me, but I feel it is not accurate. Anyway, moving on, I got onto my bike and off I went. I felt awesome on the bike. I have been working my bike a lot over the last year and a half. The last few weeks I have taken some computrainer classes and also added CrossF.I.T. to my workouts. I have to say along with the awesome training I receive from my coach MJ, I felt great on the bike. The next thing I knew I was riding 25 MPH and I wasn't going downhill, I was on a flat. YAY ME!!!! Got back to transition and got ready for the run. Now before the race, I was with my Tri Smart buddies and Christine. We were all chatting and BFF (Jim) comes walking up. I introduce them and Jim says "oh are you the one she works with?" Christine says yes. Jim say " oh she's going to kick your ass." I am now totally red in the face. The week before on a bike ride, BFF and I were talking about the race and I mentioned Christine would be there. Christine is an awesome runner, did a 1:32 at the Chicago Half Marathon and 3:30 at the Chicago Marathon. Of course there is always some friendly competition. I knew I had to have at least 3-5 minutes when I got on the run. I was a little ways out on the run and I saw Christine coming in on the bike. At that time I was thinking, oh she's going to catch me. I kept trying to get my legs loose and increase my speed on the run. I saw her again at the halfway point and thought, she's coming, I need to really go. After that I caught up with Bryan, told him to get on my shoulder and run with me, trying to be encouraging. I saw mile 2 and I said, okay you have 1.1 to go, see what you can do, so I went in and gave it everything I can. I got to the finish and I didn't disappoint Bernie, at least that is what he told me. By this I mean that I lived up to my reputation and threw up at the finish. This has been a common problem for me this year, So common, we kind of make a joke out of it. I don't know what the deal is, just one of those things that happens and right after I feel great again. Who knows? I ended up 3rd in my age group and we had a fantastic showing by Tri Smart. BFF (Jim) was 2nd in his group, Melanie was 4th in her age group, Liz won her age.
The next day I got up to head to Hammond for Leon's. Leon's is an Olympic Distance which is always 1500 swim, 24.9 on the bike, 10K run. I got there early and as I was walking in, I saw my old masters swim coach, Coach Steve. At first I didn't know who it was because the sun was in my eyes. I just see this guy switching directions and I was trying not to hit him as I was walking my bike in. Finally he took off his sunglasses as I am sure that he knew I was clueless at that point. We chatted a bit and he told me that he was a USAT official today. I asked him not to ding me with any penalties. I went into transition to get my area set up. Leon's transition area is probably the best one I have been too. Instead of using bike racks, they have wooden racks on the ground to rack your bike and then a space you can put your gear in. I was the first one from Tri Smart there. We had a few of us that were pulling the twofer and then probably about 25 people from the team there. I walked around a little then came back to the transition area, where there was a TV crew from Comcast. Since I nominated myself to be VP of our club and MJ was outside of transition, I got to be the voice of Tri Smart that day. Of course they decide to interview with the sun in my face. I talked about the team atmosphere and how cool it is to have your teammates at events and during training. Hopefully, I did a good job. We took a team picture and then off to the start. This year I was the last wave to go. Okay, no biggie, let me see how many people I get find on the course. During the swim I don't know who I was passing, all I knew was that if you were in front of me, I was going to try to catch you. The start was a little rough, but then it smoothed out. I like that they have the buoys numbers going down. They are the left side, which was great because I breathe out to my left during races, so I could see the numbers. I got out of the swim and there was Laurie and MJ, along with the Urban Tri kids (love those kids). Gave some high fives and then went to transition. I got done in there and off to the bike. Now last year the bike course was 3 miles too long. They did fix that. We had been warned ahead of time that the course was bumpy and could damage our bikes. So I was careful, but still tried to maintain a good speed. There are a lot of hairpin turns on this course. I think I handled them a little better than last year, but still not something I like doing. The bike is a two loop course, so I saw MJ and Laurie when I was heading out to my second loop. I was waving and I about fell off my bike, but that is all good. One thing I love is when I see people I know, it is always uplifting. I got through the bike and back in transition for the run. Off to the run I went and I knew it would be a little hot. I tried to just take in water when I hit the stations and I took in a little gel before I got onto the run and at mile 3. I saw Tri Smart people all along the course. It was awesome. One person I would like to give big kudos to is Courtney. She got a flat on the bike. Instead of sulking and being upset, she went on the run, ran with people and cheered everyone on. We could all learn from that. Way to be strong and awesome Courtney. You ruled!!!!!! My goal for the run was to keep trying to pass people as I went along, just trying to maintain pace or get faster as the run went along. Before mile 1 I saw Brax (one of the Urban Tri kids ). He was all over the course, loved it. As I am running by, he was like go faster, go get people. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!. I would see people and kept trying to be encouraging as I went along the course. I got back towards the finish area and there was my friend, Dan from school, cheering me as I was coming in, then I knew when I hit the turn, I would see the most awesome tent, TRI SMART and there would be the crew cheering me into the finish. I got in and I was sure that I had a PR for an Olympic Distance course. I did. However, the really fast chix were there. I believe that girl that won my age group was like 2:15 or 2:19 and I think 3rd place was 2:26. I gave it everything and I know there was not 7 minutes hidden some where that I could have taken off. So I didn't get my goal of placing at both races, but none the less, it was an awesome weekend. Thank you to all my friends from Tri Smart for being so awesome and supportive. It is so great to be part of such a great group and we do have more fun than those other teams.
Saturday morning I got up and met up with my friends Jim and Bryan in Lockport. We drove together down to Bloomington for Tri Shark. Tri Shark was a sprint distance triathlon which was a 600 swim, 13 miles on the bike, and a 5K run. Sprints kind of vary. I kind of felt like I was back in college since ISU is not too far away from where we were at. I actually remember that I did a run there while my friend Kim was racing. We got to the park and set up our bikes and stuff in transition. Before the race started, the race director took time to honor our friend Bernie's son. Brendan returned home after serving in Afghanistan and was getting married on Sunday. Then the Star Spangled Banner was played, totally AWESOME!!!!!!!!!. I was in the 5th wave with all the 39 and under women. A few friends from Tri Smart were in there with me and my friend, Christine from school. We took off for the swim. The first few strokes out there were fast because I wanted to get away from people and I had the oh crap (insert other word) effect when my first hit the cold water. After a few more strokes that went away. I got into my grove and the next thing I knew I was getting out of the water. The one thing I didn't like and I have seen this at a few triathlons was the mats that catch you time were at transition and not right when you got out of the water. Just me, but I feel it is not accurate. Anyway, moving on, I got onto my bike and off I went. I felt awesome on the bike. I have been working my bike a lot over the last year and a half. The last few weeks I have taken some computrainer classes and also added CrossF.I.T. to my workouts. I have to say along with the awesome training I receive from my coach MJ, I felt great on the bike. The next thing I knew I was riding 25 MPH and I wasn't going downhill, I was on a flat. YAY ME!!!! Got back to transition and got ready for the run. Now before the race, I was with my Tri Smart buddies and Christine. We were all chatting and BFF (Jim) comes walking up. I introduce them and Jim says "oh are you the one she works with?" Christine says yes. Jim say " oh she's going to kick your ass." I am now totally red in the face. The week before on a bike ride, BFF and I were talking about the race and I mentioned Christine would be there. Christine is an awesome runner, did a 1:32 at the Chicago Half Marathon and 3:30 at the Chicago Marathon. Of course there is always some friendly competition. I knew I had to have at least 3-5 minutes when I got on the run. I was a little ways out on the run and I saw Christine coming in on the bike. At that time I was thinking, oh she's going to catch me. I kept trying to get my legs loose and increase my speed on the run. I saw her again at the halfway point and thought, she's coming, I need to really go. After that I caught up with Bryan, told him to get on my shoulder and run with me, trying to be encouraging. I saw mile 2 and I said, okay you have 1.1 to go, see what you can do, so I went in and gave it everything I can. I got to the finish and I didn't disappoint Bernie, at least that is what he told me. By this I mean that I lived up to my reputation and threw up at the finish. This has been a common problem for me this year, So common, we kind of make a joke out of it. I don't know what the deal is, just one of those things that happens and right after I feel great again. Who knows? I ended up 3rd in my age group and we had a fantastic showing by Tri Smart. BFF (Jim) was 2nd in his group, Melanie was 4th in her age group, Liz won her age.
The next day I got up to head to Hammond for Leon's. Leon's is an Olympic Distance which is always 1500 swim, 24.9 on the bike, 10K run. I got there early and as I was walking in, I saw my old masters swim coach, Coach Steve. At first I didn't know who it was because the sun was in my eyes. I just see this guy switching directions and I was trying not to hit him as I was walking my bike in. Finally he took off his sunglasses as I am sure that he knew I was clueless at that point. We chatted a bit and he told me that he was a USAT official today. I asked him not to ding me with any penalties. I went into transition to get my area set up. Leon's transition area is probably the best one I have been too. Instead of using bike racks, they have wooden racks on the ground to rack your bike and then a space you can put your gear in. I was the first one from Tri Smart there. We had a few of us that were pulling the twofer and then probably about 25 people from the team there. I walked around a little then came back to the transition area, where there was a TV crew from Comcast. Since I nominated myself to be VP of our club and MJ was outside of transition, I got to be the voice of Tri Smart that day. Of course they decide to interview with the sun in my face. I talked about the team atmosphere and how cool it is to have your teammates at events and during training. Hopefully, I did a good job. We took a team picture and then off to the start. This year I was the last wave to go. Okay, no biggie, let me see how many people I get find on the course. During the swim I don't know who I was passing, all I knew was that if you were in front of me, I was going to try to catch you. The start was a little rough, but then it smoothed out. I like that they have the buoys numbers going down. They are the left side, which was great because I breathe out to my left during races, so I could see the numbers. I got out of the swim and there was Laurie and MJ, along with the Urban Tri kids (love those kids). Gave some high fives and then went to transition. I got done in there and off to the bike. Now last year the bike course was 3 miles too long. They did fix that. We had been warned ahead of time that the course was bumpy and could damage our bikes. So I was careful, but still tried to maintain a good speed. There are a lot of hairpin turns on this course. I think I handled them a little better than last year, but still not something I like doing. The bike is a two loop course, so I saw MJ and Laurie when I was heading out to my second loop. I was waving and I about fell off my bike, but that is all good. One thing I love is when I see people I know, it is always uplifting. I got through the bike and back in transition for the run. Off to the run I went and I knew it would be a little hot. I tried to just take in water when I hit the stations and I took in a little gel before I got onto the run and at mile 3. I saw Tri Smart people all along the course. It was awesome. One person I would like to give big kudos to is Courtney. She got a flat on the bike. Instead of sulking and being upset, she went on the run, ran with people and cheered everyone on. We could all learn from that. Way to be strong and awesome Courtney. You ruled!!!!!! My goal for the run was to keep trying to pass people as I went along, just trying to maintain pace or get faster as the run went along. Before mile 1 I saw Brax (one of the Urban Tri kids ). He was all over the course, loved it. As I am running by, he was like go faster, go get people. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!. I would see people and kept trying to be encouraging as I went along the course. I got back towards the finish area and there was my friend, Dan from school, cheering me as I was coming in, then I knew when I hit the turn, I would see the most awesome tent, TRI SMART and there would be the crew cheering me into the finish. I got in and I was sure that I had a PR for an Olympic Distance course. I did. However, the really fast chix were there. I believe that girl that won my age group was like 2:15 or 2:19 and I think 3rd place was 2:26. I gave it everything and I know there was not 7 minutes hidden some where that I could have taken off. So I didn't get my goal of placing at both races, but none the less, it was an awesome weekend. Thank you to all my friends from Tri Smart for being so awesome and supportive. It is so great to be part of such a great group and we do have more fun than those other teams.
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