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!!