Thursday, May 27, 2010

Clemson Sprint Triathlon - 5.15.10


Alarm goes off & I lay in the bed. "Do I really have to get up? I don't want to do this." Well, I got up. I had to. One of my TNT athletes, Jennie, was doing this as her 1st tri ... so I better be there! This is the 4th triathlon of the season for me & ready or not here it comes.

It was great seeing all the familiar faces ... & meeting some new ones too! Everyone comes out to this race. Lots of hammer heads here. Well, while I'm there setting up my TA, talking w/ all my friends, stretching & then hearing the pre-race music blaring I finally started to get excited about the race. I think Karma was right. There is a different vibe at the races when Nicole isn't there. And, I can't wait for her to be back, even if it's just to cheer.

SWIM: Another floating start. My strategy for these is this: I wait about waist deep, while everyone else is already treading water. Once Jeremy says we have 1min until we start. THEN, I swim to the front of the group. They probably all hate me, but I always find an open slot & then I haven't waisted energy treading water for 3min. And, then I get some "quite time" as I stand there all by myself to get syched up. It works for me.

I wasn't sure who was racing in my age group, but because it was CLEMSON I was afraid the competition would be stiff. I pushed hard on the swim. Went a little wide going out & coming back in, but once I hit the sand I took off running up the big hill. It is so fun to hear people yell "Go Sarah!" There seemed to be quite a few there that knew me. I was able to pass about 4 or 5 people as I ran into TA. Both transitions were fast for me. I didn't fall over trying to put my shoes on or anything!

BIKE: The bike was rolling hills. It was a fun course until I lost my chain going up a hill. Call it operator error. Normally you can ease it back on .. not this time. I ended up having to get off my bike, using both hands, struggled, but finally got it back on. Oh, and guess what other issues I had? That's right, GI issues. I've really got to figure this puking issue out. "Oh well, keep going" I told myself. I needed to make up some time after all that, so I cranked it out. At the last turn onto the main road our bike lane got smaller & we had to go pratically one by one. These 2 crazy guys infront of me slowed way down. Grant it, it was a sharp turn, but hello ... we are racing here. I ended up yelling at them "keep moving!!" And, of course beat them into T2.

T2 was awesome! 41sec thank you very much! =)

RUN: On to the run. Ah, the run again? It was not fun, but I got through it. It was an out and back, that had a couple really long hills and then one real nasty uphill.

Jeff & I hung around just incase. Turns out I got 2nd in my AG! WooHoo! Then it was off for another 40mi bike ride. Jeff only made a few wrong turns. Just in case we had gotten lost (he doesn't have the best track record) I took extra liquid! Woa budy! There are lots of hills in Clemson, the sun was HOT, and that new TriSports.com uniform is cut more than my normal tops. Lets just say I got crispy!

Lake Murray Sprint Triathlon - 5.9.10

Major props to Al at Go Tri Sports for the free race entry.

Jeff ended up signing up for this race too, so we both crashed at Nicole's Saturday night & then drove down Sunday morning ... very early! I sware we were almost the 1st eople there at TA. At least we got our t-shirts! I had no idea who was here & racing in my age group. But, I did see Ashley before the swim & found out we were still in the same age group. So I knew at least 1 person was going to give me a run for my money.

SWIM: It was a floating start. When the gun went off it felt like that commercial about clean water. You know, the one where the water is drained out of the tank and all the gold fish are floundering around. There wasn't enough water for all of us. I got kicked so hard, I just knwe if it had been any harder my arm would have broken!

BIKE: The bike was rolling hills. Lots of hills. I had GI issues again. Not sure what's going on w/ that, but just kept going. I pushed as hard as I could, both up & down the hills. Last year I made the mistake of not pedaling down the hills. I fixed that for this year ... much be
tter! As I crossed the final bridge coming back into TA, I saw/heard Joe cheering me on. I knew this meant his wife Ashley was still behind me.

RUN: I got through T2 & took off on the run. Thankfully I couldn't feel my feet.
(I've been suffering from tendonitis in my left foot/ankle & haven't been able to do my training runs per Drs orders.) I tried to run smart. Bypassed the 1st aid station. Then I saw Ashley at the 1st turn around. She wasn't too far behind me. At this point I felt like I had a target on my back, so I kept pushing. Second turn around comes & there she is. Didn't look like she had gained any on me. But, now I could feel my foot & I was really hurting. My pace slowed. I turned a corner & there was Joe hollering for me. Right after I passed him, I heard him start cheering on Ashley. Oh boy! We probably had about 1/4mi left & there she was, running next to me. We crossed the bridge together & then hit the grass. I let her get about a foot or two ahead of me. Then, we hit the long parking lot to the finish line. When my feet hit that asphalt I gave it everything I had left. Sprinted until it was over.

Turns out I sprinted in to get 3rd in my age group. This was the 1st race I felt like I really pushed through some mental & physical barriers. I was thrilled with 3rd place.

Jeff had a great race too & we got to go home celebrating!

Team in Training (TNT)


I've got 3 female participants this season that are training for the Tri Latta sprint triathlon. The have been so dedicated & enthusiastic about training & raising $$ for LLS.

This past Saturday I took Jennie & Lynne out
for our normal group ride. We started from t
he YMCA downtown & headed out of town. We just s
o happened to make it to the base of Paris MTN & I said "hey girls, are you ready for some climbing?" They looked @ me kinda like "ok" & s
miled. Neither of them have ever driven up the mountain,s o they didn't even know to dread it! They did FANTASTIC!!

Watching athletes push through barriers & conquer obstacles that one seemed unobtainable ... it made my week!

St. Anthony's - RACE DAY - 4.25.10

The alarm goes off & the nerves were all ready going crazy! I tried to get some breakfast down - It didn't want to go. I squeezed into Nicoles TriSports.com uniform (because the new one for this season hadn't come yet) & I felt like I had saran wrap around my body! It was a beautiful sight I know. =)

5:45 - We all headed down to the race site so I could set up my TA, check out the swim finish & wait in the long line to get body marked ... you'd think I'd learn my lesson & pack my own

stupid marker.
6:30 - Walked a couple blocks distance over to the swim start
7:00 - Waiting to start racing! Mom & sis leave to go eat breakfast

7:30 - still waiting ...
8:00 - ... still waiting ...
8:20 - SWIMMING!

SWIM: It was really choppy out there. The 1st leg was protected by the pier, but after the 1st turn it felt like I was body surfing. I took the 2nd turn back in towards shore & the waves were huge! I bilateral breath & everytime I went to the left side I was getting slammed & huge mouthfuls of ocean water. So, I adjusted my stroke! I absolutely LOVED the swim! Having to adjust my stroke & rhythm is a fun challenge for me. I tell you what though, those people were not out there to be nice ... they were trying to beat me up, so I fought back. It seelsm like it is always the guys. If you are a girl & pass a guy, watch out. The don't like that.

TI: It was hard to get my barings as I c

limbed up the ladder, out of the ocean. Made it up & took off running to TA. It went pretty smoothly. I heard my awesome support crew (mom & sis) yelling at me & then I was off!

BIKE: Starting out I felt strong. I always pass people on the swim, but now I was passing bikers & that was fun! It was a flat & fast course; lots of wind though. About 1/3 of the way through the course I started having GI issues. All my nutrition was coming up & I couldn't keep any new gels down. Uh oh! I was able to keep feeling strong & kept a good overall pace. But, as I finished & I could tell my energy was starting to fade. I train w/ a strict nutrition/timing schedule & now I'm feeling the results of not having that normal nutrition.


RUN: On to the run. My favorite part ... NOT! I'm not going to lie, I struggled ... big time. The whole throwing up on the bike did me in. The run was very flat & right next to the water, so it was beautiful. There were s

o many people out in their yard cheering us on. Some even had water hoses & were spraying us down as we ran by. I pulled into the parking lot & was so excited to see that finish line -

it was the prettiest thing ever! And, there was Rebeccah & my mom hollering their heads off & ringing that cow bell for all ti was worth!

Since this race is so big (alm

ost 5

000 participants) they place the top 10 finishers for each grouping. Somehow I managed to place & squeaked out 10th in my age group, even w/ a bad day of throwing up! At the awards I met up with Tracy, who won 1st in her AG - simply amazing! I've got some pretty fast friends. Now they just need to rub off on me! =)

I can's say how much it meant to me for my sister & mom to come down. It definitely made a difference hearing them cheer for me as I was biking or running by. Want to give a big shout out to my sponsors. They are, & have been an instrumental part in keeping me all geared up & ready to go! Also, major thanks to my awesome friend & coach, Nicole, who couldn't make it down for the race. If it wasn't for her,

I wouldn't be doing this craziness!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

VACATION!!!!


I am in FLORIDA for a much needed vacation!

There are now 3 race reports that I need to write, maybe between the laying on the beach, soaking up some rays, swimming in the ocean, running on the beach, & biking up the coast on Hwy A1A ... maybe I'll get caught up. =) My goal for the week is to get enough sun to somewhat even out the horrible "tri" burn on my back from last weeks race & the 40mi post race bike ride with Jeff.

This is a family trip that we have been taking since before I was born. I have only made 1 of the last 3 summers, so I'm excited to be down here. Unfortunately my sister, Rebeccah, & her husband couldn't make it. Looks like it's just me and the parents! We strapped 3 bikes on top of the Altima & crammed all our stuff inside. Looks like we were going to stay for a month or something. There was so much stuff I had to straddle the bike pump.

Recently, it seems I have been pulled in so many directions. Grant it, it's all been my fault, but I am so ready to veg out menatally & physically from all my normal responsibilities!

Relaxing is starting in 3 ... 2 ... 1...

Saturday, May 15, 2010

St. Anthonies - Pre Race Weekend

Wow!! I know this is getting up a little late, but here it goes. Where do I start?

This race was supposed to be a girls race weekend. Having fun, racing, partying, singing w/ the radio ... but things didn't happen quite as planned. My race buddy got all preggo & strict bed rest on me, & it looked like I'd be going down by myself. Well, a week prior to the race my sister must have been feeling pretty bad for me & she told me that she is flying down from OH to come see me race! How cool is that! I was soo excited. And, then my mom started asking questions about me driving down there & how long the ride would be. Turns out she was feeling bad for me too! She came home Thursday night & said she was coming down too b/c I shouldn't be driving that far all by myself. Well this is just great! Turns out it is still going to be a girls weekend ... just w/ diff girls.

FRIDAY morning my mom & I head out (a little later than planned!) The drive was horribly long. I thought the cops in Starbucks might arrest us, & at one pit stop I would not have been surprised if hillbillies had come out w/ their shot guns & robbed us. All in all we made it down there safe & sound. Got there about 9pm & found a great parking spot about 1block from the historical hotel we were staying at. It was
at this point that the palm tree I had parked under decided to give up the ghost & 1 of the larger branches fell & hit my car while I was standing right there ... couldn't believe it ... just started laughing. As we were waling back to the hotel we heard some loud noises coming from the pier. Turned out there was a outdoor production of Hairspray going on. We walked for a little bit and decided to call it a day.

Beccah's flight ended up changing due to nasty weather up north. So, she didn't fly in
till Saturday evening.

SATURDAY morning ca
me before I knew it. I had to do a short swim, bike & run. I decided to start w/ the swim so I could get a feel for the water in the morning, like it would be race day. I was slightly nervous about the ocean swim b/c even though I have swum i
n the ocean for fun I have never actually "swam" in the ocean. My mom & I walk down to the swim start & see everyone there w/ their wetsuits. I decided not to give into the peer pressure & I swam w/o my wetsuit. The water felt amazing & I l
oved it. At one point, my hand hit something semisolid & somewhat slimy. People there thought it could have been a ray. I'm not sure b/c the water was pretty murky & I couldn't see anything. On our way back to the hotel we saw the coolest tree ever w/ beautiful red flowers that had dropped & were now covering the ground beneath.

Next I biked. It was fun b/c there was a huge group from Team in Training at this race & I was wore my TNT tri suit for the short bike & run. Everyone was hollering at me "Go Team" & I felt so special & was wishing I could wear the TNT suit for the actual race. I finished m
y run at the Saturday fair, a couple blocks from our hotel, for some good lunch & music.

Then we headed down to the EXPO for athlete check in & to find some cool stuff. Of course I ended up spending too much $$, but it was fun!! It was extremely hot while we were at the expo, so when we walked by the Endless Pool exhibit I was eager to jump in! Swimming in the Endless Pool was a very unique experience. Emily with the Endless Pool Design Team was super nice and very informative. While I was swimming, Emily's coworker kept increasing the speed of the water to fit my own personal speed. You could definitely get a good workout from one of those pools! If you ever get a chance to try one out you should jump at the opportunity!

We finished the day by getting lost on the way to the airport, but finally making it to pick up Rebeccah. Grabbed some pre-race pasta dinner under a cabana. And, then it was back to the hotel for some shut eye.

RACE DAY - on another post.