Sunday, May 31, 2009

Issaquah Triathlon 2009

I went into this race with a little bit of trepidation. Since training for Ironman I have been doing a lot of slow long endurance stuff and I was hoping that I could find the fast twitch muscles again for a sprint distance.

Up at 4:45 am after a good nights sleep..breakfast and coffee in the car. Got to the race site around 5:30, racked the bike, set up the transition area and brought my bag over to our new team tent to meet up with the team.

Everyone seemed relaxed and calm for the first tri of the season. The weather was PERFECT. The water was perfect and I felt great. Warmed up in the water for 15 min and stood around chatting before the start.

SWIM 7:23

This honestly was the roughest swim I have ever had. I have done a lot of wave starts and it was NOTHING compared to this swim. It was short but brutal. I started out front of my wave which was 88 women deep. Gun went off and I dove in, 2 women directly in front of me flipped over on their backs and started to backstroke and I basically swam over them after crashing into them. Not a good start. Until the final buoy I found no place to swim where I wasn't being pummeled and boxed in. I was hoping for a sub 7 swim but it was not to be.

T-1 1:45 Uneventful. Rode in just the tri suit, no glasses, no gloves and it was fine.

BIKE 39:33 22.62 m.p.h.

This was both my triumph and my downfall. I had some big time frustration with this course as the no passing zones seemed excessive. The areas just outside the no passing zones were also difficult to pass in as several women were trying to tell me I could not pass when I could. I felt great on the bike. I felt like I was flying. I hammered up the hills and stayed in aero for most of the ride. I passed a whole lot of people and was only passed a handful of times. Got stuck behind a pack of people in the no pass zone but my time was almost a 5 min improvement from last year!

T-2 1:11 Again, uneventful, run shoes on, helmet off, hat on ...go!

RUN 26:52

And this is where that fast bike caught up with me. I felt really slow and stiff starting out and my legs did not really feel like they were ok until after the first mile. Even after that first mile I never got a good pace going. The course is cross country and the footing is weird for me so I was rolling my ankles right and left. It was not a pretty run for sure but I know now I need more work on the bike/run balance for next time.


In all I was happy with this race. It was fun to do and I improved by almost 7 min from last year. Aged up into a more challenging age group and still maintained 10th place.

TOTAL TIME 1:16:45 10/88 age group

Best thing for me was being 147/940 on the bike!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Day 3 Full IMC bike course plus 20 min run

Up early for coffee and breakfast

The day was a bit overcast but warmer than the previous 2 days. Suited up with lots of random layers and remembered to sunscreen really well. Took off with the medium paced group for the ride out to Husky. Had a headwind again but pushed a bit harder this time around. I also started on tired legs that seemed to remember the 95 plus miles on Friday an the 2 hour run on Saturday. McClean Creek Road was there before I knew it and it was a hard first little hill. Legs were not happy. At Husky we stopped at the aid station where I took off arm warmers and booties. The day was really starting to heat up. Started the climb up Richter and seemed to have some gearing issues in the first half. I figured it out and spun up to the top. Friday we had a tailwind. Today we just had a lack of wind. The rollers were tougher this go around. Got to the out an back and didn't skip it today. Pushed another headwind. I was taking my Thermolytes every hour which worked fine on Friday but now it was about 15 degrees warmer and I started having some issues. I felt like my helmet was getting tighter and the top of my head felt tingly and numb. It occurred to me that I was really needing more sodium so I began taking a lot more salt. After about 30 min. I was feeling better and stronger. False flats were tough and then a windy climb to the top of Yellow Lake and a scary descent with crosswinds picking me up and blowing me around quite a bit.

Tried to spin a bit coming into town but my toes were on fire at this point an I just wanted to be done. Ran the bikes into the room, running shoes on, hat on, angry music on ..GO! One mile run out and back felt like hell but then we were back at the Slumberlodge and DONE!!

Hobbled over to the icy lake and sat up to my waist for the requisite 15 min.

Warm shower and then out to dinner with friends. A great day.

110.6 miles total

6 hours 33 min

16.8 m.p.h average

I am so ready to just sit on my arse and enjoy my Monday and Tuesday off.

I am so glad I did this camp now to build up my confidence. I have another camp in July with my coach. I am really looking forward to improving on my time and training more in lovely Penticton.

Sleeping in tomorrow and ambling home.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Day 2 run and swim but without the swim!

Had another great day today. Up early, walked to coffee and came back to sunscreen up and go to the camp meeting at 8:00 a.m.

We drove in groups about 5 miles into the out and back marathon course and parked at the marina. I wanted to do about 2 hours on the course so I plugged in the tunes and off I went. The course is not flat but I was feeling good this morning and running strong. The day was beautiful and the course runs along a lake so how bad can that be. Stopped to get some water at the aid station mile 4 and ran a few more miles before turning around and heading back. Got in about 11.5 miles nice and easy.

Stood in the FREEZING cold water at the marina for a good 15 min. up to my waist to cool down my legs, grabbed some food an Paul and I headed back to the room. After a quick shower it was off to the famous Bike Barn to peruse the goods. I almost bought a kids xl bike jersey which would have fit me. It was covered in cupcakes and said "Riding cupcake mountain"

Back to the room where I held the realistic thought process about doing the open water swim. The lake we were to go to was rumored to be "ok" as far as temps went but no one could really explain what "ok" was. I was STILL cold from soaking my legs earlier plus all the training was catching up on me so I opted for an endurance nap instead.

Woke up, dressed and headed over to the Penticton Lakeside Motel for a buffet dinner with the 50 plus athletes at the camp. Paul and Anna had been to this banquet before and wisely guided me to pick out dessert first before I ate dinner so they would not run out. Us triathletes can EAT!

Had a lovely time. At the end Cal, the director of the camp talked about the ride tomorrow. We will be going off in staggered groups with the slowest ones leaving at 7, then 7:30, 8 and 8:30. The staggering is to prevent those who are fast starting to early and missing the aid stations before they are set up.

Paul and I will be riding in the 7:30 group. The plan is to do the full course, with the out and back, all 112 miles followed by a 30 min run.

Best part of the evening was listening to a talk by the legendary Steve King who has been the announcer and the voice of Ironman Canada for 30 plus years. He is an incredible athlete and announcer. He told a number of inspiring stories and really got me thinking of this journey I am taking and what it means to me.

After the talk, Paul introduced me to him and he is one of those people who remembers everything. Maybe he will remember me when I cross that finish line in August.

Back to the hotel to get bottles loaded with nutrition mixed and put in the fridge, clothing laid out and bikes ready for the big ride tomorrow. It is looking to be in the 80's so a tough day for sure.

Tomorrow is last camp day. I will leave Monday morning for home. I miss the kids and husband something awful but I think I needed to this trip on my own to just focus on me.

I sat around tonight around all these athletes here finally feeling like I am one of them.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Day 1 and ready for bed!

Had probably the best bike ride of my life today. Started out around 10 a.m. after pre ride camp meeting and grouping. A group of about 20 of us left the Slumberlodge and headed out to Ok Falls. At the falls we battled a headwind to Husky Station which was our first aid station. Loaded up on gatorade and cookies and off we went. We were about 2 hours in at this point and began the long climb up Richter Pass. It was a long slow slog but nothing in steepness to what I have been doing back home. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself up at the top with not too much effort. I did a good job at this point regulating my salt pills and hydration. The day was starting to heat up and I sweat buckets of salt. Started the rollers and they seemed to go on for quite awhile. Kept in an easy gear and tried to spin as much as I could. At the 60 mile mark we hit the next aid station and again I took the salt tabs, loaded up on water and electolytes and downed a few cookies an off we went. Down to the turn, climbed up through the false flats to the base of Apex mountain. This is where the famed climb to Yellow Lake begins. The climb is short (a few miles) and steeper than Richter but is difficult after such a long day. Just when I started to really feel it I was done. Top of the hill, another aid station. More salt tabs and a magic cup of coke. Arm warmers and gloves back on for the steep descent. A few more rollers, some screaming downhill and then we were pushing back into Penticton. Got to the hotel, grabbed food, threw the bike in the room an went across the street to Lake Okanogan to sit up to my waist in 50 degree water. A great recovery habit!

I am so happy I was able to do this and have a positive experience. I feel like Ironman is in reach.

Final numbers

95 miles
5:50 hours
16.2 mph

Tomorrow we carpool out to the turn around of the marathon course and run back. The run is NOT flat and I suspect I will have legs of lead but I will do what I can.

Will post more tomorrow night.

Ironman Canada Camp Day 1

I am sitting in my hotel room waiting for the others to wake up. Paul and I drove from Bellevue to Penticton yesterday. We met at 10 a.m. which is just about the time I looked down at my bike and noticed that my rear brake pads were almost worn through. I usually am not one to ride the brakes so my guess is that they were never replaced during my last tune up..grrrr. Shame on me for not noticing. Paul was kind enough to cart us to Sammamish Valley Cycle where they replaced the pads in 2 min. Thanks guys!

The rain was coming down pretty hard as we climbed the pass but tapere off as we got into eastern Washington. Stopped for lunch, crossed the border around 4:30 with no issues. Paul has done this camp for 4 years now and this will be his 3rd Ironman Canada so he knows his stuff. He drove me almost the entirety of the bike course so I could finally see Richter Pass, the rollers. the out and back and Yellow Lake. The course looks tough but it is not as scary as I thought it would be. Soooo glad we drove it.

Checked in to the famous Slumberlodge right across from the Peach and the race start. We bought a ton of food from Safeway and then Paul and I walked down Lake shore to a mediocre Mexican restaurant. After dinner we got our bikes set up for the following morning.

Had a good nights sleep. Tried hard to sleep until 8 but woke up at 6:45 ready to go. Took a shower and walked to Starbucks. It is a gorgeous morning. Sunny and should be close to 70 today!

Pre-ride meeting/welcome to camp happens at 9:30 and we will depart on bike at 10. Today is about riding steady and just getting through the 100 miles. I will practice more of a race day scenario while riding the whole course on Sunday.

I am looking forward to tucking into that steep descent off of Yellow Lake with shiny new brake pads!

Will post more later