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. =)

Glenn Thrift Challenge - 23mi trail run/hike

Woke up at 3:50am and thought "what in the world am I doing." The night before, when I got home from work at oh, about midnight I finished getting together the last minute necessities. So, thankfully I was all packed and ready to go. The event didn't actually start till6am, but we had to drive to the finish and drop a car off first. We left the house at about 4:30 and headed towards the mountains.

I had never done this event before, and was getting excited. I kept thinking, "boy, if I survive, I'm going to have some awesome bragging rights!" Well, it was about 6:15

and we were off. Turns out we all walk up the gravel trail together (so we don't get lost) for about 45-50ish minutes until sun rises and we get to the trail head. And then, ... let the fun begin!

We crossed several creeks in the first few miles. There were rocks to cross over at first, then I fell in. Yeah, I was like "watch, this is how it's done" and then .. BOOM, I went in! Since I was already wet I ended up giving Nicole a piggy back over one of them (& earning a latte!) and then I said no more!

There were some beautiful views, some awesome wipe-outs, lots of rolled ankles, several series of

steps that seemed to go straight up for-ev-er!! & then some really nice run-able (i think I just made a word) passes.

I guess I didn't eat a correct breakfast b/c about 2.5 hrs into it I bonked & almost passed out. That wasn't good. Thankfully I had a PowerBar and that definitely helped revive me.

We finished in about 5hr 45min ... and that's with our 15min lunch break, picture breaks and of course our time spent at every creek trying to find a rocky passage way.

Thank you Nicole for dragging me out there! It was a great day full of laughter ... and maybe just a little complaining on my part. =)

First Time for Everything!

#1. My biggest fear came true ... I was supposed to be at the Parris Mountain Trail Run Race at 7:15. That meant wake up at 6am to get ready and travel the 30min to the start. I woke up and ... OH NO! It's 9:45. I slept through, what was supposed to be, my first trail run race.

This is why I love traveling to races with friends. It gives me a safety net b/c I'm horrible at waking up on my own ... just ask my morning classmates at school ... i'm always late. =(

#2. Camp Croft Half-Marathon Trail Run (11-13-10)
This was great! It was an automatic PR b/c I had never done a just a half marathon (it's always been at the end of a 70.3) & I had never done a trail run.

Everyone needs to do a trail run at least once to see how much different it is from road running. Falling & rolling of the ankles was inevitable. I crossed the finish line with a bloody knee. It seemed like everyone ended w/ at least dirt if not blood on them.

I started out feeling pretty well, and then I quickly faded to shear exhaustion. I had no life/energy going up the climbs. At about mile 3 I lost the group i was running with. Just could keep up w/ them on the climbs. I ended up running by myself for a good bit of the middle part. This is where it was hard to keep going at a faster pace than just to getter done. But I tried. I kept having flash backs to Macon 70.3, where I stood in T2 & cried b/c I was so physically & mentally done. I just kept telling myself it was a race, it's supposed to hurt.

At mile 9, I started running with a girl. All I know her as was the brunet girl w/ a maroon long sleeve shirt on. We kept switching the lead and pushed each other. Running with her really helped me. She was my carrot, & I'm not sure if I would have finished if it wasn't for her. I ended with not the greatest time, but I finished and was soo happy for that!

All in all ... lots of woods, roots and dirt & a great day with friends.

Triathlete's Running Season has started!

What do triathletes do during their "off season" ... usually they ...
1. Pick what they are the worst at and focus on that
2. Try and drop some precious pounds to give them the cutting edge
3. Build muscle
4. Work on their nutrition
5. Take a mental "break" from the high intensity triathlon training
6. Rest
7. ,,,

Why do we do this? I get called CRAZY all the time and that's ok! I think all of us need to get in touch with are crazy side! =) I'll be honest, part of this is pure self-pleasure. Sure people say there is nothing pleasurable about torturing yourself. But actually, if you can embrace the pain and be dedicated ... there is nothing better than that feeling of accomplishment & the bragging rights that come with it! You also become a member of a select group that can make a difference. You make a difference in the charities that the races support. You make a difference in the lives of the people that surround you because you are a symbol of good health. You challenge them to do something beyond what they thought was conceivable b/c that's what you did.

That's what I did ... what I once thought to be inconceivable I am now doing! And, that's exciting! When I started out I couldn't run a mile , heck, I couldn't even run 3min straight. A lot has changed & it is my goal to show others what is actually attainable and as long as they swallow their fears and take that first step, they can move mountains. This isn't only for athletics, but life too. I wanted to be in the medical field, but was too scared to study it in my first undergrad. Well guess what? I swallowed my pride and my fears and am now back in school for another degree, this time nursing, and I'm loving every second of it!!

Anyone who knows me, or has read any of my posts, knows that I don't care for running all that much, so that's what I'm focusing on. My coach and I decided on about 6 different running races to do before mid-December. The first of those official races is this coming weekend (11k trail run). I've taken on a new outlook on running and am trying to stay positive. Running is not what I hate, but I'm taking it on as a challenge this winter. And, I am going to tackle it!

This week was really like my first week really back into training, since taking some time "off" so I wouldn't burn out & it was a COMPLETE SUCCESS!! I ran up Paris Mtn for the first time and it went GREAT. It was hard, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't nearly as awful as I was expecting. This weekend I was also considered a rogue runner and caught a friend at mile 3 of her first half marathon and ran the rest with her for support. She was a former Team in Training athlete and it

is exciting to see her continue in the athletic arena and strive to get faster and better. She did fantastic on this half marathon and is already talking about the next one. That's what gets me excited about what I do ... seeing someone else, who never dreamed she would ever run a half marathon or an open water triathlon and has now done both.

Inspiring others ... that's what this is really about!