Recap of 2011 and looking forward to 2012

I would be a liar if I said this season didn't have it's ups and downs, because it did. But, those downs are ones I created from expectations that I placed on myself. In all actuality it was a GREAT season with GREAT results!! When I started triathlons in 2008 I "raced" to finish and to prove myself and others wrong. Never did I expect to be placing 2nd in the STATE and getting 3rd place in my division at the HalfMax NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP's! Can we all say ... cool!!

3rd place HalfMax National Championship

I think it is important to set goals for yourself, otherwise you have no purpose ... nothing to make you push yourself to the next level. The goal could be finishing or coming in 1st, but the most important thing is being able to adapt those goals depending on the circumstances. Great friends help too! They put up with the grumpy early mornings, the awesome climbs, the bonking sessions, the long rides, and the celebrations! When you get wake up calls before 4am, you know you are friends with some special people! My Team in Training athletes had an awesome season and many of them are continuing their  athletics with marathons and half marathons during this off season - success!!

When I was younger I remember watching the Ironman World Championships in Kona on TV and saying that those athletes were crazy! Yet at the same time I admired their commitment, athletic abilities, & perseverance. Secretly, I wanted to be them one day. Who knows what my future has in store for me, but I will say I am already setting goals for 2012. It is going to be a great season. My first IRONMAN is on the docket and I will be racing with all my fiends ... so excited!!!

Since the tough HalfMax I have stayed active with lighter workouts than during the normal triathlon season. This week my Winter/Off Season has started and it is so fun to be back at it!

Florida Ironman 2011

2012 Florida Ironman ... Here I Come!!

This past weekend I went down to the Florida Ironman (FLIM) to volunteer and cheer on all my friends who were racing. It was an awesome experience, and all of my friends did phenomenal. Having planned ahead, I went down already planning on signing up. Being down there and watching it just solidified my decision.

I cannot wait for next year and everything that is in store for me. It will be GREAT!

TriSports.com Halfmax National Championship - 10/08/11

There was excitement in the air because it was race weekend!! Of course, the procrastinator that I am left packing to the last minute. After finishing some homework I finally had to crash, and ended up frantically packing Friday morning. Friday noon came and 4 adults and a baby piled into Jeff's fantastic new Power Wagon truck, with lots and lots of gear/luggage. ("duh Big Red truck" is no more & now we have to find a new saying for his grey Power Wagon). Jeff normally drives like a little 'ol grandma, but with Nicole in the back seat and him trying to prove the power of his new truck we got to Myrtle Beach in decent time. It would have been even faster, but my small bladder slowed us down. =) On the ride, like usual, we tried to mentally prep for the race by going around the truck and stating our goals & projected times for the next days race, and also setting up our plans for the day. My plan was to try and hold back some on the bike so that I would have my legs for the run.

Our motel was aah-may-zing! I have to say, Nicole did a fantastic job getting our motel room. The "room" was more like a LARGE apartment. Every room had a great view of the intercoastal waterway, with a perfect view of the swim course. This led to a great place for watching the pro's swim on Sunday.

Friday night came and I seemed to just lay there while the clock ticked by. Baby Addison cried here and there, but I think it was more the nerves and excitement for the next day that kept me up. 5am and it's time to wake up. Seriously?!? I tried to eat breakfast, but that wasn't working so well because I was wound up. My outside was telling a completely different story though. Krysta was like "you know we are racing today? You are so calm, what's up with you!" Well, I really wasn't calm. I knew this day was going to be a hard day, and I knew I was going to have to work for it. But there was pressure on me - self inflicted of course. This was my "A" race for the season, my training was there, I was healthy, the weather was cooperating and this was setting up to be my best half ever ... or so I thought / hoped / wished for. But, the day didn't play out to that end. What happened? I went from knowing it would hurt, but expecting a good day to talking myself out of DNFing (DNF = Did Not Finish).

The SWIM: 1.2miles. So, I was the only person in my swim wave with a non-purple swim cap on. Yes, somehow I had accidently grabbed a random hunter green SetUp Events swim cap & didn't realize it till it was too late. Oh well! I'm not really worried about the swim. Yes, 2/3rds of it is against current, but I'm a good swimmer so it is all good. Well, I had never swam in brackish water before & was not prepared for the absolute zero visibility it provided. There was no way you could draft because you couldn't even see the bubbles from other swimmer feet to guide you. I ended up having to sight about every 4 strokes. That wasn't even enough sometimes when you factored in the current. I took the turnaround buoy a little wide and that threw me out into the middle of the intercoastal waterway. The current kept pulling me farther and farther out towards the other bank and it was a constant battle to stay on course & my time reflected that. Finally I hit that last turn, climbed out on the dock and then ran into TA (TA = Transition Area) to find my bike.

The BIKE: 56miles. The course was in the shape of an "I" and it was 2 loops of flatness. We got to bike on an actual highway. How cool is that! With a flat highway at the beach guess what you get ... WIND! And lots of it. There was easily a 7-8mph difference after the 180 degree turns. Crazy I tell you! With the last turn on the first loop and heading back to TA to start the 2nd loop I started to feel weak. What? I've been holding back some, why am already feeling weak? This is weird. Oh well. Push through it. You knew today wouldn't be easy. You are racing for 70.3 miles. Come on legs lets go! I was able to keep my mph average the same, but my effort level definitely started to increase. At mile 43 I felt like I started to crumble. The most important thing to do on a windy course is to stay low in the aero position, and I couldn't. I had to keep switching from up on the hoods and back into aero. Aggravating for sure. And then the mind games start to play in my head. My nutrition and hydration has been spot on, why is my calf cramping? Why am I so puny?

The RUN: 13.1miles. I walked through TA and thought, oh this is not going to be pretty. This is when your mind comes into play and you are supposed to suppress all the negative thoughts and push through it. Yeah, that did not work for me on this run. The course was an out and back 3 times. At the aid station at mile 2 I saw Nicole and said I was D-O-N-E. She basically told me I'm mentally giving up, and I need to suck it up and keep going. She was right. Funny thing, there was another runner struggling & she said "wow, she's (Nicole's) mean. Can I run you guys!" haha! By the end of the 2nd loop I was in complete meltdown mode. Chin was wobbling, tears were flowing I was going to quit. All I could hope for was that Nicole was waiting at the end of that loop to kick me in the butt and make me keep going. She wasn't there, and I lost it, but I did make that turn to start the 3rd loop and I did finish that race. Sweet Jeff even came back and ran that last little bit with me.

If I'm going to be honest I'd have to say that this race has demoralized me. I felt horrible, and was over an hour longer than I expected to come in at. What happened? I don't know what happened. People say, you learn from your bad races. Well, I didn't learn what to change during the race, but I will probably take a couple Tylenol PM the night before & eat more the morning of the race! The bottom line is, I did finish! I got that finishers medal & I even got 3rd place in the Athena division. Neither of those would have happened if I had walked away from that run course.

The Nations Triathlon - 09/11/11

Being in Washington DC on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 was quite sobering. I am so glad I was able to be in our nations capital on that momentous day.



Stay tuned for the complete recap of the weekend and race!

Open Water ... Scary!?!?

What just touched my leg!?!  >  I can't see anything when I swim.  >  I'm in the middle of a lake!  >  I don't think I can make it!  >  I can't breath!  >  HELP!!!!!

Does this happen to you when you start the lake swim of the triathlon? Don't feel bad. It happens to many people. Whether it is because you haven't been exposed to lake swimming or maybe it is the anxiety of the race getting the best of you. Being out in the lake is one of the best ways to help overcome this.

In an attempt to get the TNT athletes ready for their open water swim, I went to the lake several times as support for my team as they exposed themselves to this type of swimming. Each time they swam about 1 mile and worked on their sighting in Lake Hartwell while I kayaked next to them. There was definite fear for some of them. Others picked it up like it was nothing. The Open Water Swims and Transition Drills are by far some of m favorite TNT training days!

By the last time we swam out there, all of them realized that they could do the swim for their triathlon. They believed in themselves ... and I would call that ... SUCCESS!!

Transition Drill Time

Transitions. They can make or break your race ... seriously! Think about it. If you take 1 minute in T2 while your competitor takes 2:30, they have to run 30seconds faster than you per mile (for a 5K) just to keep up with you. That 1:30 difference can make a big difference!

So, if they are important how do you make them fast? Practice. practice, and some more practice. This practice involves trying out different setups, a different order of putting things on, maybe different gear. You don't have to do loads of races to get this practice. Instead, you can do "mock" triathlon/transition drills.

Every time you finish a bike ride practice getting off your bike. Now, that might sound silly, but when stop riding ...
- Do you unclip your shoes?
- When do you take your shoes off?
- Do you completely stop before you do all that?
- How fluid/efficient is the movement?

Now, don't get me wrong. Those aren't the only thing that go into a fast transition, especially since all that happens outside of the actual transition area (TA) ... but it's a good start.

Before our Team in Training (TNT) athletes went to their big race, we practiced their transitions. Oh what fun it is to torture them. =) Jeremy Davis, president of SetUp Events, gave us a few transition bike poles to practice with. We made it a competition between them all and had prizes from our awesome sponsor TriSports.com. Nicole also got some gifts from her other sponsors to spice up the pot.

It was a great day. Athletes learning what works for them, what makes it efficient, the rules of transition ...

Practice your transitions ... what's to lose, but precious seconds off your race time!

Greenville Sprint Triathlon

This is a race that can't be missed. It's right in my backyard and all the big wigs of local triathletes come out to play. Fun times for sure! Besides the Westside Aquatics Center has gotten a complete make over and I was anxious to swim in their new pool. Some of my Team in Training (TNT) triathletes even decided to come out and race.

The morning started out early, as do all race mornings seem too. Not sure what the issues was, but I was all discombobulated this morning. Almost forgot to set out my helmet in my transition area! Finally got all set up and checked on my TNTers. Headed out for a quick warm up on the bike to check the gears. All as good, so time to walk up to the pool. Uh oh, had to run back to my transition and put my socks out ... and sungalsses ... oh, and grab my swim cap! Ok, now all ready.

SWIM: Seeing as I had signed up the day prior, my race number was at the end of the participants. Thankfully SetUp Events changed their timing for pool starts and I was able to jump in with Nicole. Funny thing, we get up there and this girl in front of us was talking about how these two girls always give her a beating in the pool. Pretty sure we are those girls. Heehee! For some reason she always starts before us, and then we have to climb over her in the water. Lady, please change your swim time and start with people that actually swim your speed!

At this point I am already excited to swim, and then we find out we are allowed to dive in ... yay! Boy was it fun to see athletes try and dive when they aren't used to it ... can we say BELLY FLOP! My swim went great. I had a great dive and caught someone before I even took my first stroke. A couple laps later I came up on that girl (from the starting line), but I was nice and went wide when I passed her. =) With abotu 75 meters to go, I lost my swim cap, but other than that the swim went well. Didn't completely find my groove, but was still very happy with my swim.

BIKE: 57 seconds = run in, socks on, shoes on, helmet on, sunglasses, & run out with my bike ... I've seen faster, but I'll take it! The bike starts with a long gradual up hill and continues with rolling hills. I reached the top of that first long hill, turned right and started cruising until this truck & trailer zoomed past me and then slowed down. I seriously could have gone right up onto the trailer if the ramp was down. Crazy! We slowed to almost a complete stop, so me being the impatient one did the illegal thing and passed on the right. Ahh, shocker. Yes, I broke the "riding rules of conduct," sorry. Susan passed me with a few miles left on the bike. I tried to hang close and was able to run in the T2 with her.

RUN: YES! I beat Susan out of TA! But, of course she passed me before the first turn like I was standing still. This was a 2 loop course. I pushed through it & got to that finish line!

Frank Roth ... a-m-a-z-i-n-g! He pulled and pushed my sore muscles into submission. =)

This race was one of my TNTers first triathlon. He is a cancer survivor and his such a happy spirit about his everything. He has pushed his body passed his physical goals. Watching him cross that finish line was not only humbling, but also inspiring!

Hills -or- Wind??

What would you rather deal with when biking, hills or wind?

This past weekend, my coach (Nicole) & I went on a charity ride called the Flight of Doves. It was a fantastic metric century w/ the best SAG stops in the state. With me training for a 70.3 in October this was the longest distance I had done yet this season. I was excited, yet a little nervous for what was to come. Thankfully my coach was out for an easy ride, which helped keep the pressure off of me.

We all start out & instantly I am having flashbacks of a few weeks prior on another group ride. Everyone was riding so close together (something that triathletes rarely experience unless they also have a road bike, which I do not) & I was enjoying the draft. The group was charging up the first several hills & I was going right with them. Soon though, I remembered it was a metric century ride ... my longest ride yet of the season. I backed off. Instantly once I was out of their draft the realization set in that now I had no help pulling me up the hills, except for my own legs. My coach, Nicole, is too small to get a good draft off of!  =)

Up and down, up and up and up and down. It seemed like there were way more up hills than down hills, but I guess it always seems that way! We were cruising along just fine and then mile 48 hit me. Yep, I started bonking. We had 14 more miles to go & I was hurting. My back was hurting, my legs were hurting & I was just spent. Every time I saw a new hill I became pretty vocal about it! At the last SAG stop I ate some cookies, gelled again & sucked it up for the last few miles.

During my bonking session & my extremely cheerful spirit about the hills (hahaha), Nicole asked me if I'd rather ride up hills or against the wind. Of course I barked back "WIND! WIND IS WAY BETTER THAN THESE STUPID HILLS!" At that moment, when you are bonking, I think everyone would probably say they'd rather deal with the opposite of what their current suffer-fest involved.

As this week has gone by, her question has stuck in my mind. What would I rather deal with ... honestly? Hmm, yeah I think I would rather have hills. Shocker I know after this past weekend. But think about it. You can train on hills. There is always an end in sight. Hills are mini challenges, or major challenges depending on the hill/mountain, but when it comes down to it, there is a top to each and every hill no matter how long or steep it might be. Wind on the other hand is unpredictable & you can't really train specifically for head winds. How long will they last? Who knows. How strong will they be (how slow will they make you)? Who knows.

I choose hills!

Heat, Hydration issues ... use NUUNs!

I just have to say NUUNs are awesome! We've been having many days, make that weeks, on end where the heat factor has been over 100 degrees. Wow! its hot out there folks. I get off work at 11am and you guessed it. I'm out in that heat. Smack dab in the middle of the hottest part of the day. It's great race day training right?!

Well, if you are going to be training in the heat, you had better be well hydrated! But, you can't just drink water. If you do, you will still have big problems. So what do you do? How do you get rid of cramps in your legs/feet.  Some people will try things like pickle juice ... YUCK!  Don't really think I could handle that one. But, what I can handle is NUUNs. Their awesome flavors & their easily accessibility makes them my first choice in hydration. They are tablets and they fizz up and dissolve in your water without any stirring or shaking. They are great for not even training, but every day activities. Heck, I even use them when I am standing on the outdoor pool deck when I am life-guarding!

Where has the summer gone??

Well, it's been quite the summer. Racing, working, relaxing, friends ... hmm ... GOOD summer!! There have been a couple races since my last post:

Festival of Flowers International Triathlon:
 - To give you a little view into my day ... after I crossed the finish line I had to lay under a truck because I was so ill and couldn't move. It was a tough day out there for me. Physical battles of GI issues & the mental battles to go along with those made my day difficult. When you are throwing up the entire bike & then loose your gel flask, you kinda bonk. And bonk really really bad.
 - There were some awesome friends down there. And, it was so fun to see some of our "crew" members! When you are desperately struggling just to finish, there is nothing better than having Nicole running towards you yelling and making you push that last little bit you have left.


Caine Halter YMCA Sprint Triathlon:
 - How fun to be racing in my backyard. I've been working at this YMCA for the summer and so I was very familiar with the course. I was 4th female out of the water ... woohoo!!! The bike was 3 loops around Greenville Technical College. There were quite a few good hills on that loop! The run course ended up being pretty flat, just what I like.
 - Finished with 2nd place in my Age Group!
 - Thanks to my mom for coming out and cheering me on. It was really fun to see her at random corners along the course screaming wildly! =)

Clemson Sprint Triathlon - 5.14.10

Clemson Triathlon: 3rd in my age group ... what a day! There were 5 of my Team In Training (TNT) athletes also racing this tri. I planned to get there at 6am (race started at 8am) to get all of my stuff done and then be able to help them when the finally arrived. Somehow there is never enough time for stuff. Probably should have gotten there at 5am. The TNTers start trickling in and Nicole & I go to work. It was so fun going out there with them & seeing them push their limits, overcome fears and become triathletes!!

Thankfully I was able to take my bike our for a quick check of the gears & computer. Stretching? ... nope. Warmup ... nope. Westsuit on ... barely. I had really wanted to get into the water and warm up, but that didn't happen. If I had I would have realized that the anti-fog that I put on my goggles last night DID NOT WORK!!! Oh well, I'm good at overcoming stuff, right?!

It's time for the race to start & Nicole & I are frantically trying to do a few stretches & throw our wetsuits on. There was a lot of tugging and pulling, but we finally got them zipped just in time to run off to the beach where all the other "white caps" were waiting to start swimming.

SWIM: I hang back on the beach and wait till there is about 60sec before I swim out to join the group treading water. BANG and we are off. My TNTers are off on the left edge and I was smack dab in the middle, one from the front. Surprisingly I didn't get clobbered much. Instantly my goggles were fogged up. What? Didn't I put anti fog on them last night? I keep swimming w/ only being able to see in a 2ft radius around me. Finally I look up & see splashes off to my right & I can't figure out if I'm supposed to be turning or not. I stop swimming & start treading water. Yep, you read that correctly. It didn't last long, but it did happen. I was going to try and spit in them & then I just said forget it & pulled those suckers down around my neck & swam the 600m w/o them. Open water swimming is my favorite ... right? Well today you would have never known it. That grove I usually get into never came. My hands hit the sand and I jump up and try and high-knee run my way the rest of the way out of the water, run past the sandy beach and stop at the grass to pull off my wetsuit. Trying to run up the rather long hill and around to TA would have surely not been fun while wearing the wetsuit, so I took it off first. At about half way up the hill Nicole passes me. What is she doing so close to me?! And, she just passed me. Oh no! I will not let her get a better swim time than me. I know this will be the only part of the race I can possibly beat her at, so it was on! We cross the time mat the same time and then it's a race out of T1. ... and I beat her! =)

On to the BIKE: Ok, I leave on a little high b/c I beat Nicole out of T1, but ... well then the throwing up starts. Yes, unfortunately it hasn't gotten any better. It sucks. What can I say. The bike has got a good number of hills, but nothing I shouldn't be able to handle. As the throwing up continues, I start to slow down. Susan passes me and says "SAY - rah!! Try to hang on" and try I did, but she was flying compared to me & I just couldn't keep it. Think I need to start hitting the hills she trains on!

Run time: Yay. The run was awesome! Best one eh-ver!! Haha, just kidding. Not good at all. I was slow. Didn't have anything in me. The run by far was the weakest link. Probably didn't help that I had thrown up the entire time I was on the bike. It's not an excuse, it's just the truth. But I did cross that finish line!

I accomplished what I went out there to do ... finish the race & I have fun in the process!! All the friends out there made it an awesome day. Hearing people yell & cheer me on, whether they were fellow competitors or spectators, always makes me smile. If I'm not smiling on the outside (because I am hurting to much!) I am always smiling on the inside. =) Probably the best part of the day was seeing the excitement on the faces of my TNTers as they crossed the finish line. They have worked so hard this season & are going to rock out at their official TNT events coming up soon. For many of them, this was their first triathlon. I was once in their shoes, & if not for the awesome coach I had then (& still have!) I would not be where I am now ... as an athlete and as a person. Thank you Nicole Ramsbey. I'm sure there will be many more fun days ahead!

4 Years Ago ...

Four years ago today I was scared, anxious & definitely not able to sleep. Why, you ask? The Clemson Sprint Triathlon was that next morning. This was a huge endeavor for me. In one day I would be overcoming what my family/friends thought I was incapable of doing. That previous fall, I had even had a guy laugh at me when I told him I wanted to do a triathlon & he told me I couldn’t do it. I was in my senior year of college, not doing anything athletic at the time, really didn’t seem to have time for anything & was definitely ‘slightly’ overweight ... I called myself “big boned!” (and still do!) That Saturday morning, I went out there and gave it my all. I swam, biked and ran ... and I crossed that finish line & became an official triathlete. It’s funny, I just read my old race report (posted as a note on my Facebook) from that first Clemson sprint, that was quite a fun day!

"Triathlon, from the outside looking in you can't understand it....From the inside looking out you can't explain it."

After that day at Clemson in 2008, I was hooked. Tomorrow will be my 23rd triathlon since I started and that quote is correct ...
- I can’t explain the pain I feel certain days from training,
- I can’t explain the mental battles that go through my head during training and racing,
- I can’t explain the elation I feel after pushing myself to my far extremes,
- I can’t explain the feeling I get when I cross the finish line,
- I can’t explain my addiction.

As I prepare for tomorrow’s race, I still have nervous jitters, but I am a much calmer than four years ago. Tomorrow is going to be a tough day. Every race is tough it seems. The weather is hot and muggy and there are even possibilities of thunderstorms. I race better in cold weather, but I will survive! There might, well probably there will be throwing up, but I will survive! My muscles will be crying and my mind will tell me to stop, but I won’t stop and I will survive!

Not only will I survive, but I will push through my limits, I will finish & I will have FUN doing it!!

At the Races - Downtown Columbia Sprint Tri (3-27-11)

Woohoo! 2 races in 2 weekends. Crazy. This triathlon season surely has started with a bang! I just love racing. I'd race every weekend if I could! .. but, my bank account can't handle it =)

This race was actually set for Sunday afternoon. An afternoon race? Surely we are going to roast out there! Well, not so much. As the week prior to the race progressed, it was evident that it was going to be cold and rainy. Sunday morning came & we all piled into Jeff's big red truck and headed south. Sure enough, it felt like one of those cold wet Parris Island races a few years back. Everyone was bundled up w/ at least 3 layers & people were even talking about putting on jackets for the bike/run portion of the race. I looked at Nicole & we both decided it didn't matter how cold it was neither of us were wasting time in TA ... "tri outfit, and tri outfit ONLY it is!" We got body marked, TA all set up and then Jeff & I head out on the bike course to warm up. This is a very unique course through downtown Columbia, SC. It's as 3 x 3.33mi loop with lots of turns and one really good hill, with the rest of it rolling. By this point it's raining pretty good, so we load up our TA bags in the truck and then head inside to the pool to stay warm and meet up w/ Raly. I start getting the racing jitters while we are all lined up in numerical order waiting to start. I didn't realize this pool was going to be long course. We keep scooting down the side of the pool deck, getting closer & closer to the start and then I hear Jeremy say "next, Karen and Sarah." I'm up. We jump in and then its "5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Go ..."

I barely hear the word "go" as I dip under the water, scruntch back and then spring forward in stream-line form, butterfly kick twice and then am right into my race-pace freestyle (pretty much "go all out pace" since it's a sprint w/ only 500m). I never see Karen again & quickly I am on top of the two swimmers that went off before me. I feel great! I've found my form and everything is just jiving together. Turns out I LOVE long course. It becomes quite evident that I need to put in a different time for my swim pace, as I pass well over 13 people. At one point I come up fast on 4 people right before a wall. We all kinda hit it together & I know there's going to be some hitting. I push off deep under everyone, come out in front & leave them all in the dust ... so fun!! I really start to feel the last 75. Make it to the wall and one last major push, hit the ladder and am running out to TA. I had to run through some grass and mud, so I tried to rub some of it off really quickly before throwing on my shoes (no socks this time!), helmet and glasses. T1=1:00. The mount line seemed for-ever and a day away, but I finally reach it.

The bike course starts right out with a hill. Actually a very big hill. You think you've gotten it, until you turn the corner and keep seeing it rise. I've got this. Shortly into the bike I start puking again. Yes, what happened last week is back. I had issues w/ it while training this past week, so I came into this race accepting that it would happen & I wasn't going to let it fluster me. On the 2nd loop, I almost got T-boned by some stupid car, but other than that the bike went really well. At the first turn of the big hill the camera lady was camped out, so I would try and wipe the puke away, b/c you have to smile & look happy when you get your picture taken =). I pushed hard and really worked the hills. The turns concerned me b/c it was the exact road conditions of my horrible fall last year (wet, rainy, sharp turns & biking fast). I tried to not let it get to my head, but I know I still took a couple of those turns a little wide. Before I knew it I was done with the 3rd lap and running my bike into TA to start the run. T2=1:02

The run goes right up the same hill that the bike goes up. Awesome. This course was very unique also. It had us running on sidewalks, roads, foot bridges, stairs, and I think even a parking lot. Needless to say there were lots of turns. Honestly though, it definitely helped me. Every turn was a short goal. I pushed hard, and when I felt like I might be slowing down, I pushed more. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good. I had a rhythm going & was able to keep it. With about 1/4th mi left there was

a pretty long stair case. It was hard to judge b/c it was too much to take them by 2, but taking them by 1 was just plain awkward. That threw me off a little, but it was a quarter of a mile to the finish line & I could grunt anything out! Crossed the finish line and looked down ... I was covered in puke. Thankfully the picture doesn't show it!Looks like the run course was a little short, but my overall average mile was still a PR for me. SO EXCITED!!! You have no idea!!!

We snuck back into the gym for a much needed shower & then bundled back up to face the cold while we waited for awards. Nicole got 7th overall and 1st in her AG! I didn't place, but did get 4th in my AG, & I was so happy w/ my performance! It couldn't have been a better day.

In our efforts to warm up we just had to hit up Starbucks on our way out of town =), & I definitely got the biggest hot Soy Latte I could get!

I have to say a special thanks to my awesome coach & friend, Nicole Ramsbey. She puts up w/ a lot from me & I know I couldn't have raced like I did w/o her.

______________________

GI Update: I went to the doctor this week, after my GI issues were definitely not getting better, but worse. I've got some different medicine and we are just hoping it isn't a hiatal hernia. Will do further testing if this persists.

At the RACES - Parris Island Sprint (3-19-11)

Triathlon season has started! Woohoo! Parris Island is the first race of the season and I can't believe it has already come and gone. This race is going to be renamed the "Puke and Place" sprint triathlon. =)

I headed down to the coast Friday afternoon with Nicole and Jeff. Quite an interesting ride down, as I got all sorts of questions from Jeff about nursing school and the stuff I was learning ... yes, I really did learn how to put catheters in! Friday evening was nice and relaxing. We did the usual check in at the race site, raid the BiLo for Diet Code Red, eat at Outback and then go back to the hotel relax. Well, I hadn't cleaned my bike in, oh lets say a really, really long time. The front of it was plastered with bugs and gel, so I had my work cut out for me that evening. Eventually the bikes were shiny, chains were greased, bike computer were working, water bottles were filled with NUUNS, clothes were laid out and then it was time to try and unwind and actually sleep. None of us had the normal racing jitters so unwinding didn't really seem to be a problem!

Alarm goes off: "Guess what? we are racing today!" Nicole says ... like I had forgotten or something. ;) We picked up Eric at a hotel down the way and then we were off to the race site. As we drove we stopped to try and take some pics of the awesome moon, but it didn't work to well. Thankfully, we got our normal parking spot, right next to TA and we were all set. Stretched, rode the bike to make sure everything was in working order, set up TA and than just waited for the start.

It had turned into a beautiful day. The sun was out, there wasn't too much wind and the temperature was perfect. The swim was in the marines training pool. 500meters. As we all lined up, people were telling others to just tap them on their feet and they would get out of the way so they could pass (yeah right, that never works). I told the guy beside me, "hey once we start, it's a race. Don't worry about being polite, if I get in your way just plow over/around me ... I won't take it personally." Sure, you try and not kill someone, but when there are 4-5 people across in one lane, someone is bound to get hit or kicked.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!" And I was off. The swim felt great. Up until about the 350 mark I was able to push it pretty hard, passing a few people here and there. From then on there was crazy congestion as about 6 of us got bunched up on 2 different people. We passed one, and then bang there was the next one. (People really need to think more before they put in their swim times!) I make the turn at the 400m mark and I pass the last slow girl in my way. Then it was another 100m all out sprint to the ladder. I got out of the pool w/o anyone passing me, yay! As I ran out of the pool and onto TA I rip off my swim cap and goggles. The adrenaline is pumping and I don't even feel the awful gravel under my bare feet as I run to my bike. You can tell it's the first race of the season b/c I'm a little rusty on my TA skills. I throw on my helmet, sunglasses & struggle putting on my socks/shoes and end up w/ a T1 time of 1:15. Then I'm running w/ my bike out of TA and onto the bike course/mounting line.

This bike course is crazy flat, so I was expecting a great time. It didn't quite happen like that. CAUTION: It's about to get a little nasty. From the instant I started pedaling I was throwing up. No, I had not taken in any drink or gel yet on the bike. Whatever this was, it was from breakfast and the swim. YUCK!! I'm out there thinking, "Seriously? This shouldn't be happening. What is going on." Since this course is flat, I am ... of course ... in my aero bars. Does that help things? No. So I ride and try not to get worked up about the liquid and chunks that is an almost constant flow out of my mouth. I knew I needed fluids, so I tried to drink some ... yep, you guessed it. It instantly was all over my bike again. "This is stupid" I start to get aggravated at myself, as if I could change the puke. My bike starts to slow & I could tell I didn't have the power in my legs like I should have or wanted to have. "This is a race, it's supposed to hurt. Just keep pushing." Somehow, drilling that into my brain didn't make my time any faster. I guess it just kept me from getting even slower though! Back to T2. Another slow T2 time of 1:14 as I switched shoes and tried to gather myself after all the puking. And I'm off again. This time for my favorite part!! ... uh huh :/

The run course was also flat. By this time the sun was completely out and it was starting to really warm up. I focus on my form. "Hot potato, hot potato" keeps going through my head as I try to keep a fast cadence. I was holding it, and some type of a rhythm. "I'm going to get through this." In no way did I actually feel good. Come on, its a sprint. Feeling good is for afterwards. Well I'm glad I thought that, b/c after the turn around I started to fall apart. The no fluids was catching up to me. I know some people do that all the time, but they also usually train like that. I train with fluids and nutrition, so when I didn't have it in me ... my body didn't like it. That last half mile was pure agony. I probably would have crawled to the finish if Nicole hadn't come back out on the course and found me. She caught me walking. Yes, I was walking on a SPRINT! I was dead. She got me running again. We came around a corner and saw some people we knew, I was grunting & she says "Don't you dare let them see you walk!" ... hahaha! I can laugh about it now, but boy was that not a fun place to be at that time. I finally stager across the finish line, which seemed like miles and miles away.

Puked and Placed people!! Yes, my time was 2min slower than last year, but I still managed to place 2nd in my age group. It was definitely a memorable start the the triathlon season.

PowerBar and NUUNs ... although you didn't stay in my belly for the race, you did help me w/ my training. And, TriSports.com, I love wearing your name! Thank you sponsors!!

Spring Break = Awesome training days!

I started Spring Break out by tidying up the house and the strapped the bike on the car and headed out. My first race is Parris Island, SC. It's a flat race so I've been working especially hard with keeping my cadence high and just keeping my legs moving. Normally, I train on rolling hills and I had gotten used to that frequent little recovery on the down hills. You don't get that with flats & if you don't train properly, you'll get burnt out.

Today was flat terrain. My Zeals went missing, so I was having to sport the Ray Ban sunglasses ... styling & profiling! It was quite colder than I was expecting, especially in the shade, but I just blocked it out of my mind and focused on my cadence and effort level. It was my first brick of the season. I did intervals of 2.5min tempo (almost sprinting if you ask me) with a 30sec recovery. Ended up doing that a lot! Got a couple breaks because of an important phone call & then a few traffic intersections. As I was standing at one of the intersections a guy rolls up with tights on & a big coat & says "you have got to be cold!" ... "I figure if I move fast enough, I won't notice!" Even with the couple breaks I was spent & so happy for my 10min cool down! Rolled up to the car and then the clock was on. Quickly I locked the Griffen on top of my car, threw on my running shoes and was off for my short, interval run.

I honestly think it was the BEST run of the season so far. I mean, wow! My legs felt great. High cadence really does help! I hit my first sprint and after fell right back into my grove. This was awesome. Lets hope it continues, and it did! Maybe it has to do with being on Spring Break & not having the stress of school and work. Whatever it is, I need to bottle it up and keep it!

I can't wait for tomorrow!

Triathlon Training, Team In Training ... & ... Leg Cramps

Tri training is getting off to a great start! My work hours have become quite scarce so now I have more time to study nursing AND train! Also, the new season of Team in Training has started off with a bang and is going quite smoothly. There is a large group of triathletes with a strong athletic background already. Makes my job easier!

I'm back in masters swim class at the Y. I am definitely looking forward to the following Wednesday nights at the pool with Coach Keogh. My first night back was quite interesting. After doing a nice hour bike ride & with some tempo spots, I jumped in the pool for masters swim. Started out fantastic! My effort level felt great all the way through & Keogh was quite happy with my technique, but then the legs started cramping. Hmmm!! Gonna have to work on fixing that. I could handle swimming with my feet, toes, and calves without much effect on myswim performance. But, then the Vastus Lateralis & Vastus Medialis started cramping. With my thighs cramping, my legs were "stuck" out straight ... I'm sure it was beautiful! Guess I need to get my NUUN's back in my water bottle! =)

TNT: Our group workouts are Saturdays and Tuesdays. So far so good! This is a great group of athletes and I am looking forward to a wonderful season with them!

My bike: GRIFFEN Vulcan B4C ... What's that?

It is well know by triathletes that yes, our sport is one of the most equipment-heavy endurance sports out there. We love gadgets & cannot wait to get the newest & improved ones. The night before a race, we wash our bikes down, make sure all our gear is in working order, pack our transition bags until they are stuffed to the brim & make sure our lucky gear is there ... in my case, it's my pea green socks & my red Airestream Zeal Optics sunglasses!

Every race becomes a show-in-tell. As athletes, we stroll into TA strutting our stuff and confidently set up our gear. The biggest investment a triathlete has to make is their bike. I was fortunate enough to purchase GRIFFEN Vulcan b4c. What is it? Not many people know. When I walk into a TA, rarely is there another GRIFFEN. Every once in a while, I see a pink camo one ... still don't know who owns that beauty. At almost every race I get asked questions about my bike, "What is a GRIFFEN??" Below are the specs I've got on my bike. I think it's pretty sweet!

The fabrication of the GRIFFEN is much different than most bikes. It starts out as powder and is formed into a very precise Metal Matrix under extreme pressure. When Boron Carbide is produced it needs to be packed, shipped, and fabricated in one week. If Griffen passes one week the metal hardens and it is pretty much down with. The metal manufacturer ships each small piece of Boron Carbide to GRIFFEN in small containers filled with dry ice to maintain its physical state. Then the race is on to build the frame... When the frame is finally fabricated it gets hardened and becomes as stong as steel. Thank goodness it's strong & doesn't shatter or splinter like Carbon Fiber ... I would have gone through about 5 bikes by now if that was the case!

-Frame is handmade in the USA.
-Made from Boron Carbide, reinforced 6092 aluminum Metal Matrix.
-Made in USA from 100 percent US-produced materials.
-Race proven geometry is used for all styles of frames.
-Modulus of elasticity is 14.3 million psi; 4.2 million psi greater that 6061 or 7000 series aluminum.
-38% stronger than aluminum alloys
-40% lighter than titanium alloys.
-Stiffer than titanium alloys.
-Fatigue life is hundreds of times greater than aluminum alloys.
-COMFORT of Titanium, STRENGTH of steel and STIFFNESS of aluminum.
-Metal Matrix powder metallurgy provides best balance vibration absorbing ride.
-Won't flex in sprint or climbs.
-GRIFFEN frames are inspected five times to assure the highest level of quality.
-GRIFFEN is wind tunnel-tested, aerodynamic frames.

Unfortunately, The GRIFFEN is no longer being made. Glad I got mine when I did. I think I'll be holding onto it for a while. =)