Our elementary school, Glen Grove, took on the GOTR program last spring with just 15 girls – the max for one group. This fall, we have 4 groups of 15 – so 60 girls!! Wow! All the girls in the Tues/Th group are energetic, excited, and open to trying something new. I’m not a teacher, so am not used to seeing 30 young faces looking up at me. In these faces I see curiosity, spirit, and potential. These are young girls who have their life ahead of them – and I think by doing this program, they are going to gain such self assurance, will power, joy, and friendships. GOTR is so much more than running- it’s about teaching life lessons, too, that will take them far. They are all so capable of setting this 5k goal and achieving it- and learning alot about themselves and others along the way.

I’m coaching with 3 other moms during the session – all incredible women- so the endeavor is not mine, alone, by any means.

So, with my running this week, I’ve taken to heart that truly, running is more than just putting one foot in front of the other. It’s about what you get out of it, what it does for you…how it makes you feel, what running gives back to you and all of us. Sure there’s the technical part of it all. You don’t want to fall flat on your face. But really anyone has the ability to run. It’s all about how running transforms you as a person.

The girls goal to run a 5k in November is the goal- giving them the tools and practice to do so is our job as coaches, but along the way,  2 times a week, we are also giving them life pearls that will help them achieve their goal- and help them achieve others things in life.

In my training for Nationals this week – I’ve tried to keep this all in mind. I’ve kept those smiling faces at the front of my mind, and not let the hype of the race make me nervous, anxious, or totally bonkers!! Yes, there are details on racing that can make you craaaazy! I don’t want to let this happen….I know I’ll be thinking of these girls while I’m racing.

So USATriathlon had a webinar on Tues. evening – with race details- from parking to all the stickers we need to plaster over our bodies- even our swim caps! We’re getting Tri Tats this year- or temp body markings for our numbers, rather than using black marker on our arms and legs. Should be cool to try. Anyway, we got the lowdown on the race course- swim in 85 degree water!- in the water start, “challenging” hills on both the bike and run course- some shade near the end of the run. Lots of details – so plan to watch the video again this weekend….predicted weather next Saturday is 91 in Tuscaloosa! Still summer time there! let’s hope it doesn’t reach 91 until later in the day.

As I read through my TRI the Journey manuscript – yes- it’s printed out and getting polished daily…scrubbed, maybe?- I hit the techniques chapter and caught what we had written about swim technique – most olympic swimmers’ hands enter the water near their ears. So…thinking about it…I tried doing this in the pool. I was cruising! My hands always entered far above my head, not close to my ears or head. In doing so, I was gliding more underwater and reaching the wall in 15 strokes! Practice, drill, practice…and it’ll come naturally. I’ve also been really focusing on bringing my elbows up high to and scrapping my thumbs next to my body in order to do so. (for more techniques and training order your copy of TRI the Journey…

Technique, technique, technique… in all 3 sports. It’s never too late to try and practice new things to make us more efficient.

Count down to Nationals- I’m excited to enter a college campus again! I love the campus atmosphere and it’ll be fun to be with stellar athletes all raring to go…I’m blessed and grateful for this opportunity!

There’s a couple other reasons I’m feeling good.  Thursday night I had an interesting coaching call with a pro triathlete, but what he talked to me about was how to be successful and overcome issues that keep us from our goals- in all aspects of life.  I realized that I NEED to take CONTROL of my own life, and to stop letting negative and irrational thoughts rule my life.  So since Friday, I’ve been trying to change all the compulsive behaviors that are “safe” and “comfortable” for me.  

I also met with a new nutritionist on Friday!  She is great- I really like her and she really gets me, which is so important!  I could really talk to her and she could empathize with me.  As much as I shouldn’t have to rely on this, I feel safe in her “giving me permission” to eat certain foods and not throw anything away.   

One of the biggest thing we are working is my post workout nutrition.  For my intense workouts, I need a good amount of carbs and some protein, afterward and she has helped me figure out my numbers.  So another reason I think that I am feeling food is that both yesterday and today I was slamming a recovery drink before I even left the gym!  Thank you to GU Energy for their sponsorship- I’ve been using their recovery mix, which finally arrived last week!  

GU Energy

Even after a hard day yesterday I had another good workout today.  I did:  

• 7 mile run, 6:39 min/miles
• 1 hour HARD spin workout of intervals and power sets
• 3x 5-minute sprint sessions with a lifting circuit in between

I think much of this was because these arrived last night:  

Zensah Recovery socks

A brand new pair of Recovery compression socks from Zensah (www.Zensah.com)!  I wore these all morning and my legs really do feel good!  I put them on as soon as I got back from the gym too, so I should be good tomorrow.  So far I am big time loving these and I will keep reporting on how they help my training in case anyone else wants to order a pair.  

I also got my new helmet and tri shorts that I ordered, earlier this week.  Somebody jacked my tri shorts from the pool, so I e-mailed Epix, the company who makes them, and they worked with me to get a color that would match the shirt of my kit.  I love these Epix shorts- they fit really well and are a little shorter than my other pairs, allowing me to run more freely in races.  Check them out at www.Epix.com.  Here are what they look like:  

Epix shorts

New Helmet!

I haven’t really had to many epic meals this week, although I’ve had some great workouts.  I won’t lie though, I tried to do a recovery run on Monday, which I did, but it was incredibly hard since my legs were so spent.  Then I ended up taking Tuesday off, even though I really didn’t want to.  Unfortunately, I haven’t made it into the pool yet this week either.  But I will tomorrow!  And open-water swimming on Monday…gotta get outside on Labor day.  Here’s a taco I made in the oven:  

Baked hard shell taco

Here is cool protein pancake I made!  1.5 scoops protein powder, 3/4 cup of oats, equal water, and cinnamon.  Then I microwaved the mixture on a plate till it was set to the right firmness.  It came out really well and I will definitely be using these a lot in the future for snacks!  

Mixing it up

Before cooking

Solidified. Would be great with some peanut butter on it!

Tonight, I’m going to relax and keep watching my LSU Tigers take on UNC…thank God college football is back!  I’m also going to stay in control of my life to be happy and successful without letting irrational thoughts take over.  Come back tomorrow- I made a good recipe tonight that I will share, find out whatever I make for dinner tomorrow, and also a give-away of a recovery drink I’ve been taking!  

1. What shoes do you workout/run in?  If you have a bike, what kind do you ride?
2. What do you want to see me try and make for dinner tomorrow (Sunday) or some night this week?
3. And for fun, favorite all-time dessert?

In two weeks, the triathlon world descends on the midwest.  Or at least that’s what I say…  It’s Ironman Wisconsin time!  For the third year in a row, I’ll be among the hundreds of people volunteering to make IMWI a possibility.  It’s one of the most fun ways to spend a day, although I swear it’s nearly as exhausting as actually racing!  The race takes place on Sunday, September 12 in Madison, WI and I will literally be there all day.  I’ll be up bright and early, on Monona Terrace by 6:00a.m. and I won’t leave until well after midnight.  It’s a long day, but it’s super fun!  This is the volunteer video from last year, just to give you a picture of what fun is in store!

The day before that, there’s a triathlon in Lake Geneva, WI.  It’s a fairly hilly course, but I’ve heard great things about it.  I was talking with a friend of mine the other day, who said there’s a rumor floating around that I’m racing.  Months ago I had mentioned I might do it… I haven’t done a single tri this summer and haven’t been swimming in more than a year, but it’s just a sprint, right?  Well the conversation has been bouncing around in my head and now I’m seriously considering doing the race.  There are tons of Ytriers who will be headed up there, so that’s sure to be a good time.  I could hop in the pool and start swimming… no big deal there.  Obviously I wouldn’t be racing, I’d just be participating!

What’s the problem, you ask…?  I’m supposed to do a 12 mi run that weekend.  I was already fretting about fitting it in with all the IM fun, but add a tri to the mix and now I’m not sure how that works.  Does anyone have suggestions?

Thanks!

Bruce pumped Eric’s bike tires, we put in lace locks in his running shoes and got his race bag ready for Saturday morning. We were up and out the door at 7:30 am Saturday morning to experience our first kid’s tri!

Eric admitted he was nervous while riding down to Foster Beach. He wasn’t sure what to expect….Bruce dropped him and I off as close to the beach as he could, then parked the car with Brad and Eric. Just entering the “race arena” with all the buzz got my adrenaline going. We walked to the transition area, had Eric bodymarked, and found the rack for boys 9-10. We found a spot near a tree for Eric to rack his bike. On the rack were hot dog, and sunshine balloons and a colorful kite at one end. I was nervous about him not getting confused on where to go with each transition – being his first one. It was a large area! I took out Eric’s stickers for his helmet, bike, and his bib # (should have done all this the night before!). Then put on his race chip around his ankle – but tightened too tight! I ended up breaking it and then panicked a little…thinking, I’m the mom here and have done several tris, so stay calm….

Luckily, we found a volunteer, who said I could get another chip strap at the registration tent, just 25 yards out of the transition. She stayed with Eric and put on his bib # on his shirt….good thing I’m a triathlete, because I had to run over to the reg tent and grab 2 straps and then hustle back to to Eric. We had plenty of time to then walk through the transition – showing him the flow pattern. We then walked over to the beach where the swim start was and found Bruce and Brad. The kids- Brad, Eric, Alexandra, and Isabel Morgan all played around by the water and sand waiting for the race to start…dumping water on heads and cooling off.

While waiting for the swim start (it was delayed- they wanted to clear the course of the super sprint athletes before starting the kid’s- for safety reasons), I saw an very old friend- actually my very FIRST FRIEND- Christine Olson Greiner!! I was blown away! We grew up on the same street, Winchester Rd, and met when we were 3 years old!! CRAZY! We re-met on Facebook and found out we both live in the Chicago area…she must have read my blog that we were going to be at the kid’s tri and was looking for me. She did the super sprint that morning and her two sons were doing the kid’s tri. SO funny. We caught up like old times…here’s our photo and some of Eric. More fun to see photos!

The start horn finally sounded for Eric’s wave and he was off with a nice group of boys. We watched his swim/walk….and cheered him on out of the water and over the boardwalk. He was running fast!! Brad and I ran next to him and next to the fence along transition. We watched him put on his shoes, shirt and grab his bike. A boy near him got his arm stuck putting on his shirt! Eric went down his row with his bike and out…no problems with his T1! Brad and I then found a spot near the bike exit and saw him get off his bike and then saw him enter the run…we ran along with him- but he looked like he got a bad cramp after grabbing a sip of water. He kept on running – learning early the discomfort we experience with this sport! We saw him finish the race – sprinting hard at the end to the finish line!! 22 mins….we waited for Alexandra Morgan to reach the finish shoot and cheered her on. I cheered on all this kids at the shoot – so proud of these young athletes- and amazed at the girls competing! WOW! We celebrated their finish – but most of all Eric and Alexandra shared a very special moment of accomplishment and courage! Way to go our kiddos!!

The TRI weekend was only just beginning…..

Bruce raced in yesterday’s Chicago tri- up and leaving the house at 4:15 am to make it down to park and get to transition by 5 am. The boys and I headed downtown, arriving at the RUN Exit by 9:30 am to watching him start the run. The humidity was in full force and sun high and hot….I cheered on the runners- all looking spent already and most wet from dumping water on their heads. We saw Bruce running full blast and giving it his all at around 10 am.  We cheered him on loudly…he later reported he was feeling hard hit by then from the heat and fell a short on his water on the bike. He drank his full bottle and needed more!! We then waited for Kim to run through…we saw her not much later and gave her a hi five!!

Eric, Brad, and I walked down to the finish line…20 mins away or so. Then ran into Kim’s father, Alexandra, and friend Mary. We walked together…Mary and Keith noting Mark was racing really well. Hot, hot, and hot…I was concerned about the heat remembering 2 years ago racing in similar conditions. We found our way to the finish and started cheering the athletes on….all looking tired and hot. Almost as soon as we got to the fence, we saw Mark – looking strong! Alexandra yelled – go Daddy!!  The heat was getting to everyone…One man’s legs were wobbly and he looked like he was doing to collapse.  We waited awhile before seeing- (hearing an ambulance speed out to the course made me nervous for all the athletes) Bruce – looking wet (from pouring water on his head)…but he still kicked it in at the end. Woo hoo!!  Not long after, we saw Kim and cheered her on. Then we went to find them- getting sprayed with water and putting ice bags on their heads! We met the group and the TWT tent…..the photos say it all – smiles and cheers to all Triathletes!!! WAY TO GO!!

Later that evening…7 pm – I ran my 6 miles- still humid. I watched the sun sink down and thought it’s been a long time since I ran in the evening. The sun cast a hazy shadow on the grass and flowers around the lake path. I thought of the tri – wishing a little I had done it this year, but then knowing the heat was brutal, and also feeling good about supporting Bruce and our friends. I looked out over the lake at the big powerful ball of the sun and thanked God for a safe event today and for the gift of my strong legs…now preparing for a 10 k in 3 weeks. WOW – exhilaration! We can never get enough!

I’ve decided to let Bruce race (while I hang with the kids) and take a back seat – cheering him and other TWTers on. When I’m on the sidelines, I’ll probably try to jump over the guard rails onto the course to get out there…I can see it now- running along side friends and Bruce, pushing them along. My adrenaline will get the best of me and I’ll wish I was out there.

The major difference this year is that the start of the race has been bumped up a 1/2 hour. So the transition closes at 5:45 AM and the race starts at 6 AM…yeah, 10 minutes or so BEFORE the sun rises!  The sprint distance racers start at this time (last year my sprint wave left around 7 am – perfect.) But this year, everything has shifted – probably because of all of the people and the fact that the pros, Andy Potts, ran into age groupers last year -sending him to the hospital. Pros are starting 2 hours after the last age group wave. Let’s hope this works and is bringing Andy back!

The Multisport Expo starts today and we are signing Eric up for Saturday’s Kids triathlon to take place Saturday morning.  He’s very excited to do his first tri! He insisted on going to the pool earlier this week- even when he had only 20 minutes to swim. He jumped right in and swam laps for 15-20 mins – pretty much non-stop. He worked on his form and speed a little. I felt like coach mom- and thought of Mrs. Phelps and Michael….OK, I have lofty thoughts on what my son can do! Why not! (He’s only 9  so there’s time). Last night he ran a few miles with Bruce, as he coached him on how to transition.

The Kids tri will for his age group is a 100 yard swim in Lake Michigan (standing is possible), a 4k bike (1 loop on Foster with the turnaround on Montrose), and a 1k run on the running path south of Foster Ave. beach. Eric will be doing racing with Alexandra Morgan – Kim & Mark’s daughter. Should be a blast for them!!

We’ll be on hand to take lots of photos- so check back for these this weekend. Brad will be actively observing. I think he wants to see what it’s all about before committing. Totally understandable… Stay tuned for weekend details!!

My final decision maker?  I asked Mary Bradbury (TWT coach) about the hilly course. She had competed in this race at least a few times. She sent an email back saying, yes, it was hilly, but I could handle it. I love her confidence. Bruce also was excited to race, so the fact that both of us would be getting up at the crack of dawn and racing together sold me. DONE! I registered and arranged for sitter to stay the night with the kids.

After much preparation with our bikes, gear, and nutrition, the day before (and I tapered for the week – doing short, intense workouts), we hit the hay by 9 pm that night and set our alarms for 4:15 am.

at 4:20 a.m. or so, in the pitch dark, Riley, our dog, barely opened his eyes or moved much when we got up the next morning. Oatmeal with milk and fruit, and some o.j. for breakfast and off we went. I’ve learned that you MUST eat a good breakfast before a long race. Plenty of carbs. Bruce had loaded our bikes in the car the night before, so we threw in our gear bags and off we went.

We arrived at the race site in Wauconda, Il high school with a stream of traffic. We parked, unloaded and pumped up our bike tires. We even saw a familiar face- Andrew one of the TWT coaches! It was a nice short walk across the street to the transition area with plenty of racks and space for our stuff. Bruce and I racked next to each other and used my orange towel as our marker for our bikes and gear. We also counted the racks and noticed the sign in our row – Wave 5 & 6. We were near the “Bike Out” area but didn’t see the “Run Out” signs. We asked a volunteer, who said it was right by him, and they were still needing to put the sign up. We were set. We grabbed our wetsuits and suit juice and headed for the bus to shuttle us down to the beach to use the potty there.

On the bus, the woman across my row told her seat mate she had done Kona! (yes, that’s the Hawaii Ironman) Wow…some hard core athletes in this bunch! A few minutes later we arrived to the beach, the sun just starting to peek. We saw a port’o potty and headed there to go and put on our wetsuits. After chatting with a few other racers, and getting bitten by mosquitos, we jumped in the lake to warm up a bit. This is the first time I’ve been able to do this and it really calmed my nerves. Out and over to the swim wave start, I found Mary B., and Amy O, and we lined up together. No music pumping, but the announcer had started the race. We were Wave 5 and up soon….Yikes! My stomach fluttered…this was my first oly race in over a year. I’d be out there for over 2 hrs! I tried calming myself- just take it sport by sport. And like Kim text me the night before “give it all you’ve got!”

I lined up behind Mary as she shook off her nerves and fuddled with her goggles. Mine were feeling a little loose, so I attempted to tighten, then stopped -afraid I’d break a strap! Mary’s used to futzing with her goggles-I’m not. I kept my hands off.

There was a stillness and calm quiet as the announcer counted down. 10 seconds….I focused on the back of Mary and concentrated. 3,2,1….Off we went, running across the start pad and out into the water. A true mass start. I saw Mary run out as far as she could then leap into the water. I lept – arms everywhere. I just kept my face down and focused on my stroke – trying to pull away and find my space and pace. It took longer than I’d hope to pull away, but I got there. Sighting and keeping an eye on the buoys. We swam far out into the lake…I knew I’d be about 30 minutes or so, so I settled in and started breathing on both sides. I felt best doing this, as I didn’t then have to hold my breath so long between strokes.

Along the course, I sighted, watching for other swimmers and the buoys on our left. I missed that fact that I couldn’t take a look around and see my surroundings! I love swimming in lakes and checking out the scenery. Once I made it around the red buoy and headed toward land and the swim exit, I did stop to do breast stroke to see where we were to get out. My goggles were fogging up a bit and I just needed to know where I was going! There were colored flags at a small white structured building in the distance. Still a ways to go But, I was approaching fast…yeah. As I swam the last bit, I kicked harder to get my legs alive and started thinking about my T1 and cycling. I was putting all that I’d learn and researched for the book, TRI The Journey, into practice.

I popped out and ran to T1…a long run. Pulling off my wetsuit, it got stuck a bit around my elbows! Earlier, I was so focused on juicing up my ankles, that I totally forgot about putting any suit juice on my elbows. I pulled down harder as a I ran and got my suit off to my waist. Phew…then pulled it hard down to my ankles when I reached my bike and gear. I stepped on my suit around my ankles and pulled my leg up to get out of my wetsuit. Still on at my ankles, I pulled the last of it off around my foot, grabbed my sunglasses and helmet (my shoes were mounted on my pedals already) and got through the bike exit to then mount my bike. No problems.

Off I went with my feet on top of my shoes. I pedaled awhile until I felt I was in a spot to slip my feet into my shoes and velcro them shut. This was OK since I was just getting my legs warmed up for a 38k bike ride.

Rolling hill right off the bat and then a turn. Lots of left turns on this course. I found my pace and settled in my aerobars. I LOVE my aerobars and they do help me ride faster. The body positioning with them feels right- feels relaxed. So, it was hill after hill. There was one I was only going 10 mph up, but then it was a nice speedy on the downhill. I kept track of my time and fuel…taking in shot blocks I had stuck to my top tube every 15 minutes. I planned to take my gel at the 1 hour mark. I had my time clock right in front of me on my bike. My goal was NOT to bonk on the run, and the only way to do this was to fuel on bike. I also kept drinking my Powerade every 15 mins.

Two other riders and I were jockeying on the first loop of the course. I’d pass them, then they’d pass me! I passed them more often on the uphill…which worried me a little because I didn’t want to tire out too soon. I loved the scenery – barns, farms, homes.

Before too long, I heard Bruce come up behind me…”Go Betsy! Looking strong…” Geez, he started 3 minutes behind me! He passed me already??? I told him “Go Bruce! Looking good” He was cruising!

I felt good when I hit the second loop. I was hoping to come in around 1 hour 14 min or so and it was lookin’ good. On the second loop, one of the guys I was jockeying with rode past one of the turns and up into the grass! I made the turn, then looked back and asked if he was OK. He was smiling, a little embarrassed, then got back on track. Before long he was passing me up again! The turns were well marked, but there were many, so you had to pay attention and look ahead. Bruce told me later that he almost crashed when a woman kept going to straight at the turn as he was making the turn. There was even a road block and police at the intersection! The woman screamed, and Bruce put on his breaks, skidding a long way. The cops applauded his effort to avoid the crash.

Coming in to T2, I felt strong and pleased I kept up with my fueling. I knew the run would be hard and my legs tired. I was right. I did a pretty quick T2 getting my running shoes on and again, the run out was pretty long. I was hurting at first, grabbed some water right away and ran, waiting to find my running legs and pace. I knew it would take a little bit of time to get into my running pace. 6.1 miles to go!

A lot of people were on the run so they helped me keep going. I got a stitch in my side for a little, and just kept moving thinking of songs in my head and once I ducked into the neighborhood, I began looking for Bruce looping back.

The run course was hill after hill…I was thinking just a few hills, but no. This was one after the other! Yikes! I saw Vachee (the overall winner) running and cheered him on. Seeing the mile markers motivated me…2 miles…4 to go. I can do this. I thought of “Let it Rock”  and “If it was your last day” and imagined Bon Jovi signing at his concert I went to a few weeks ago. I looked around. Took in some scenery. Feeling good, strong. Not knowing my pace….I saw Bruce just before the turn around and he cheered me on. He was running fast, so I felt slow. With the hills, I thought I was running 8:30 miles or more!

Thankfully, the clouds covered the sky and sun stayed hidden the entire race. When I saw the 4 and 6 mile marker I was thrilled to be feeling so good!! A few women around me took off running. They must have been training on hills. Not me! I wish I could have chased them, but was giving it all I had for the time. I tried pushing it a bit, and picked up my pace, but felt I just couldn’t go any faster for the last couple of miles.

When I popped out the neighborhood and crossed the street to head into the park and toward the finish line, one of the volunteers said, “Cool orange shoe laces! I like those.”  Made me smile. I did force myself to smile on the last mile…just to forget some of the discomfort. SMILE says Chrissie Wellington. SMILE!!!

As I approached the finish line I saw Bruce ahead walking back to find me. “Go Bets! The finish line is just ahead. You are right there!” I said, “You gonna run the end in with me?” He moved to my right side and began running – of course faster than me! But he helped me kick it in some more. I was surprised to see the finish line not far. “You’re looking firm. Keep running firm,” he said.

So I did….I ran it firm and hard into the Finish Line. It was there and I made it feeling strong! I didn’t bonk, I didn’t hurt myself, I felt great and thought I’d finish in under 3 hours easily.

I met Bruce after taking off my chip. My legs got tight quickly and I was desperate to stretch them out. Then I didn’t want to hit a carb low, so asked Bruce to grab some bananas. Ah…we did it!

We saw Mary and caught up with her and her race..she was the overall female WINNER! So awesome. Then we found out Vachee was the overall winner! Couple of our locals and coaches. Incredible. We posed for a photo with Mary, Vachee, Candance, Amy, Katherine, Andrew – the TWT crew- who have all come a long way on our TRI Journeys. And we’re still going strong….Bruce and I were very pleased with our times, which left us thinking, can we go even FASTER???

I rolled over and saw a shimmer of light coming through our shutters in our bedroom. I thought, it must be around 5 am or maybe later. I hit my light on my bedside clock…5:28 am!!! YIKES! “Bruce, it’s almost 5:30! We gotta get up!”

Our plan the night before was to get up at 5 am, eat, get ourselves to the Glenview Park Center by 5:30 so we could warm up in the pool and then even have time to run a little. Didn’t happen…Luckily, we are just a few minutes from the Park Center and quickly ate, get ready, rode our bikes into transition by 5:50 or so. We had until 6:15.

“Sorry, Tri’s over…” said a snappy volunteer….

We hustled to get our chips and body marked. The tri is so well organized and only about 400 people come, so it’s not too congested. We  got our stuff, marked, and then found our rack. There was plenty of room, but one woman had all of her stuff laid out in full form in a section of the rack! I asked nicely if she could move it, “usually, people just put their stuff by one of their bike wheels,” I said. She said there was plenty of room at the other racks in our row…I looked down the line – not really. I wanted the end so I could easily see my stuff and get in and out of the transition. Not happy, Bruce decided to rack in the back -where no one was! He’s always thinking.

We saw Kim and Mark come out of the water. They had warmed up. “If you hurry you might be able to jump in and swim a few laps,”  say said as the announcer said the pool was closing for warm-ups. We hustled over and our neighbor, one of the swim police, confirmed the pool had indeed closed. We went in just to use the restroom.

I REALLY wanted to warm up, so stood and did some jumping jacks and some sprints in the grassy area where racers were assembling. The announcer is awesome – loud and clearly saying we are all so fortunate to be here- to have the freedom to do what we want to do and to be safe at this race. I thought about our freedom while racing. We are fortunate.

We lined up to start the swim, Bruce & Mark ahead for some serious racing, Kim and I, then Stef and Sue – so comforting and fun to have friends nearby. There to support and you just know they will be cool if you panic or have any trouble. Kim and I didn’t like the tight conditions of the indoor pool swim…we told ourselves it’s only 5 mins and to just focus on ourselves and our own stroke, no one else’s.  As we approached the pool start, we saw Mark and then Bruce and cheered them on. The pace at the start line was quick.

Before we knew it, Kim was in the water and I was right after. Off we went! The swim worked out well. I thought strong and steady, keep Kim in sight, this is only 5 mins or so, I can do this. I just swam about an hour last week. Keep your head down and glide.

I  was given the red kickboard once on my 2nd to last length and turned around to ask the person behind if she wanted to pass…no she didn’t.I kept pushing on.

Out of the water, I ran down the grass to T1, my adrenaline pumping. Bruce and I had practiced getting in our cycling shoes while on the bike and it was so easy to do! So, I grabbed my helmet, glasses, and bike and ran out of T1, mounted my bike and pedaled with my bare feet on top of my shoes. Out on the street, around the turn, I reached down to slip on my shoes and velcro them shut. It worked great!

Then I realized my helmet was on backward. Dumb! I had taken off my visor the day before and didn’t have a reference for the front. So I tried to turn it around..which slowed me down. Kim caught up and asked if I was Ok? Yes, just my helmet is on backward!! In hindsight, I should have left it on as it…got it right, then kept pushing. I rode behind Kim a bit and then she took off after one of our turns. She was rapid on her bike! I pushed harder then ever, knowing the route well and we had 2 loops.

I kept drinking on the bike, hoping I’d feel strong on the run. Took some shot blocks, too, then the package flew out of my hand onto the street. Got one chew in and it took me forever to swallow I was working so hard! Geez…

Rounding the turn and coming down the stretch to T2, I un-velcroed my shoes, slipped my feet out of my shoes and pedaled barefoot on top of my shoes again into T2. So easy to then run without those clips on the bottom! Lovin’ it!

In T2, slipped on my running shoes and visor and headed out – my quickest transitions ever!! The run is always tough after cycling hard for so long. I was determined to keep a strong, steady pace, knowing my time was already improved from last year. Hitting the hill on the run couldn’t have been better with the volunteers playing their drums and cheering us on! The guys were nutty and so full of enthusiasm! What motivators to get me up the hill!!

On the hill, I saw Mark and we cheered each other on. He was looking strong. Then saw Bruce who gave me the peace sign. He was working so hard up the hill, he couldn’t muster the energy to speak. No surprise to me.

When I saw the 2-mile marker then looked ahead to see where the runners were going, it looked to far away! I thought, I only have 1.1 or so miles to go…it’s not long…keep it up, you can do it.

A Bon Jovi song came to mind. Then I thought, Chrissie Wellington does this whole event in 8 hours, fast! Imagine being out here running a marathon. This is nothing.

I thought of our freedom. I took in the moment and before I knew it, I was heading back up the hill and on the last section of the race. Beautiful day.

The finish line was in sight as I saw Bruce and Mark cheering me on at the end..”You look strong! finish Strong!” I kicked in my run for the last few yards and crossed the finish line to the announcer and music in the sky.

Glorious Day with glorious people. I am grateful!!

And I’ve learned a few lessons for the Bangs Lake Oly Tri next Sunday! Get it on…

Ironman Champion, Chrissie Wellington, was here!! She paid a visit to a 400 + crowd at Metropolis Theatre in Arlington Heights, Il last evening…she was full of energy, enthusiasm, and more than willing to connect with her fans.

At 3 pm, an email went out to Together We Tri training groupies from Leigh Ann saying she won VIP tickets from the Pace of Chicago to attend the event. She got 2 tickets and was wondering if anyone wanted to go with, as she didn’t want to attend alone….I knew about the event, but hadn’t bought tickets, then heard it was sold out. I quickly sent an email back – YES! I’d love to go with her!!

I was the first to respond, so Leigh Ann obliged and I was in quick-to-go-out-the-door mode. I zipped out of here by 5 -ya never know traffic.

The buzz was on the street, as I approached Metropolis, I recognized Mark, the owner of Runner’s High N’ Tri, a sponsor of the event. He was grinning and pumped up…I shook his hand and we walked into the theater together. I checked in, found Mary Bradbury, and Jen Harrison, then Leigh Ann as we anxiously waited for the organizers to lead us to the room to meet Chrissie.

After filling out name tags and mingling with some other VIPs we were led into the room where Chrissie was! Yeah! Very cool…she was wearing her TYR athletic top and short jean shorts…she has an incredible, powerful, muscular body- all these tri pros love to show off, and rightfully so.

Champagne was passed around as we clinked glasses, in awe of Chrissie. She was very approachable and discussed her passion for Tri racing, her most recent Ironman win in Roth, Germany – an incredible 8 hours 19 minutes!! She beat her WR time by 12 mins and some odd seconds. INCREDIBLE…

She also talked about her passion for fundraising -for ALS and cancer. She’s racing for a greater cause than herself, as she said. Gotta love it when pros create a platform to help others.

It was a blast meeting other athletes, coaches, and fun people with Runner’s Hi & Tri. They grabbed Chrissie to take her down to the shop to have her sign their Hall of Fame mural. Very cool…Check out a bunch of photos posted on the Runner’s High N’ Tri Facebook Page.

We then headed into the ballroom to hear her story. Moderator, Bob Babbitt of Competitor Magazine. He’s got the authentic, smooth announcer voice!

Chrissie told her unusual and interesting story of how she found Triathlon – starting as a young swimmer, working in development, traveling, working and cycling in Nepal. Her life’s path led her back to swimming after a car accident…and then into tri’s as she also loved cycling and running.

At the end of the evening, she was willing to take a photo with each person attending, in front of the Brooks banner. As soon as I can access my photo, I’ll post. She’s so full of gorgeous smiles.

She’s truly an amazing woman, athlete, and human being…keep an eye out for her at Kona in the fall. She’ll be the one to watch!

GO CHRISSIE!!!

(P.S. my new mantra is “I am Chrissie.”)

So, I really began training in late April, I used school as an excuse to keep from training. So, one would think I would have started training with swimming since that was my weakest of the three, but no. I started mostly with biking. I enjoy riding my bike so that came the easiest of the three. So I slowly worked on my biking, but did not really push myself.

After a few weeks of riding my bike, I attempted to add in some jogging afterwards to little avail. I have an aversion to longer runs, preferring to sprint. So I pretty much stopped trying to jog, just assuming that when the time came I would just do it.

After dreading the swim, I finally starting training for the swim, only two months out. My first swim did not go well, especially when I found out how many laps I needed to swim to make it 400m. I became quite discouraged. However, I kept going to swim and gradually got to where I could at least float 400m. The Waco Tri Club held open swim meets in the Brazos to help simulate course. I went to my first one, two weeks before the race. After finishing my first open water swim, I was unable to ride my bike. I went again the next week and felt better but would have still struggled to bike afterwards.

Based on my training I assumed breaking the 2.5 hr would be a good goal for me. Now this is not considered a good time for a Tri of this length, but at least I would be finishing. So, you know the winner in 2009 finished 1 hr 9 min and I think most finished under 1hr 40 min. So, I did not expect to be very competitive but I would finished.

The day of the race is here. I wake nice and early, thanks to Shelby deciding to volunteer. I get there and get my bike racked and my shoes and things laid out. Since I signed up so early, I got the rack closest to bike exit and reentry point, which is nice so I did not have to run with my bike very far. Then we had he pre-race meeting. Ironhead Race put the race on and the director is a very serious man and tends to yell instead of speak but hey the race went as it was suppose to.

I am on the right side still standing on the green turf in a blue shirt about to enter, click to make larger.

Following the meeting the race began. The Sprint went first, in five heats. I was in the second heat. I tried to as hard as I could to stay calm and remember to take it slow for the swim and not try to stay up with everyone. So the swim started and I took it slow, the heat behind past me, and a few from the next heats caught me as well. But, I did pass one person from the heat in front of me. Overall I did well for myself on the swim, nowhere near competitive with most but hey I could continue on afterwards. From the swim I had to run up a ramp to get to the transition area. My transition went okay, took a little longer than I was hoping it would.

So now I am on the bike portion. I cross the line that allows for me to get on my bike. Seconds later my chain derails, so I have to spend about 2 min getting my chain back on. I get the chain back on and take off. The bike is a straight out and then straight back in. So on the way out I am passed by more people than I pass but hey I am going. After the turn around, I pass more people than get passed by, but it is clear at this point I am in the back of the pack. I struggle a little at the end of the ride but finish. I re-enter transition, and have a good transition from the bike to the run. I had an above average time for the transition. While entering I hear the times of some of the first people finishing, only at 1 hr 14 min, now I am thinking I have a real shot at breaking 2 hr, which would be a great time in my opinion.

Now it is time to run. I start off at a good pace, however about .5 mile in my calves are burning and I have a shin splint. So from this point on I have to walk then run. I unfortunately did a lot of walking but I was still going. I was still hoping for a sub 2 hr time. After the halfway point on the run I find a good pace to run and then walk, run then walk. As I near the finish, on the Suspension bridge I slow down a little so I can sprint the end. I walk up the ramp from the river walk to the bridge mentally preparing for the end. I get up to the bridge and prepare to run. I see the finish line and the running clock. Just as I begin to sprint I see the clock click pass the 2 hr mark, so I did not make it, but hey I will sprint it out anyways.

I am done, I have done it. Yes I came in close to the last of the Sprint competitors, but I beat everyone who did not compete. Then a thought entered my mind, I finished when the clock said 2hr 2 min area, but I did not start in the first heat so I probably did beat the 2hr mark. I remained hopeful that was the case but did not want to become convince of it in case I was wrong.

So we get home, I look up the results on online and find I came in with the official time of 1:59:05. I did it I broke the 2 hr mark. I plan on signing up again next where I hope to break the 1 hr 40 min mark. I figure if I continue to practice my swimming (by far my worse event) and work on the other two as well I should be able to quite easily, and maybe even the 2.5 hr mark. My next challenge is to train for the Bearathon and try to do it.

Author Edward Rothstein writes:

“Watch someone who is at home in the water, or comfortable running or biking, and the activity seems perfectly natural; there is no excess movement; nothing is jarring or out of place. It is as if the human body had been made for these activities. A swimmer’s body can plow the waves like some Homeric vessel guided by the gods.

In actuality, though, can anything be more unnatural? Free-style swimming is devised for movement through an alien element. Ordinarily we are not aware of our breathing; in swimming, breathing is the determining factor. The movements of the arms and body are designed so that the mouth can regularly be raised above the water’s surface without disturbing forward thrust. Bicycling is also pretty unnatural: what animal moves by leaning over and moving the feet in tight circles? Watch a beginner — watch me — and the peculiarities are obvious. The beginner demonstrates the unnaturalness of it all, the perversity of the enterprise.

Part of the appeal of watching races is that we see that perversity overcome. The unnatural becomes natural, the difficult turns simple. The motion eventually makes sense. It feels as elegant as it looks. I know this, too, from the piano: is anything less natural than moving individual fingers up and down or arms from side to side to create music?”

Think about it – so true! I was watching a snipet of Mary Bradbury’s Lake Zurich Tri race that was on her Facebook page – well it was a link to a UTube video of her race. When I watched her race, she just looked so NATURAL. She, an expert, made it look easy- fluid- her body moving so gracefully. And she came in First Overall!

Relax..enjoy your training and race…let the movement come naturally.

1 mi warmup

3 x 300m with 100m in between then 200m recovery
3 x 300m with 100m in between then 200m recovery
2 x 600m, 200m recovery
3 x 300m with 100m in between then 200m recovery
3 x 300m with 100m in between then 200m recovery

1 mi cooldown.

Lots of short intervals which I usually enjoy running fast, but not today. I am confused, shouldn’t I feel the best one day after a Dr Larivee treatment?

I took the 15 minute drive down Lake Avenue heading directly East to the lake with Kim Morgan -a 1/2 Ironman, speedy lady, friend and neighbor. Having her as my tri buddy and to drive with me that morning, kept me motivated and I was truly looking forward to doing the mini.

It was a little reunion, as I hadn’t made it to a TWT workout yet this year. Kid’s baseball and schedules just didn’t work out – although I’d been training all season. It was awesome to see Mary, Leslie, Kara, Kim, Pam, JP, Stef, Steve, Pat,  and Mervet and to meet some new tri-enthusiasts.

After setting up bike, helmet, sunglasses, bike/run shoes, towel, gel at our transition area and putting on our wetsuits, we walked down to the beach to do our 20 min. swim – 10 out and 10 back. Coaches Mary and Andrew gave us the count down to start and we were off. Oh….  the water was cold!!!   Shocker to the system. We did a gradual build on the swim to warm up, but my feet were cold. I just kept thinking, “keep moving and you’ll warm up.” Sure enough eventually I did and found my pace. space, and pattern. It was good to be with the group – practicing a mass start. A few times I hit some legs with my arm strokes and got a little splashed by swimming close to people. The sighting practice was needed, as I found myself veering off course from time to time.

Out of the water, I emerged a feeling a little woosy. The shock of the cold and the fact I hadn’t swum that long or hard in awhile made me feel a little dizzy when I stood up. I acclimated and got myself together to head out on the 50 min ride. 25 mins out onto Green Bay road and 25 mins back. It didn’t take long for me to find my comfort zone and I pushed hard to keep up with Kim. She found a solid pace, hanging around 20 mph. Green Bay Rd. had little traffic that early (at 7 am), was shady and scenic….nice morning ride!

Back to for our T2 area, we quickly change into our running shoes and head through the park area. My legs were like bricks! as expected….I had only done 1 brick workout this year so far. It took me 5 mins or so to get my running legs back!

We ran past the Bahai Temple- a unique, elaborately structured building. Running by it, we were in awe of the architectural detail. We were to run a square around the temple and back to the beach front- 30 mins or so. Kim and I kept up a strong pace and were back in 20 mins. so did a slow jog past our stuff and into the park again. Beautiful run with lake views.

It was just 8:30 when we were back to our things drank some more fluids and stretched while Andrew did a recap of the mini. We come to find out that Michele had a flat tire on the bike course! She held up her greasy hands- she had changed the tire and suggests we all have hand wipes available if this happens to us! I was impressed…I guess it’s gonna happen eventually on the road and when you have to do it, you just do it. Best way to learn and get good at it.

For some it was their first time putting all 3 sports together…a big deal, really! it was the first time for me this year putting in all together and once again, I was exhilarated! While running, I was thinking of  tris coming up – and like  signing up now! Glenview, Bangs Lake, Chicago…. As Andrew said, if you feel good now, you’ll feel even more exhilarated on race day!

Mark: Remember how wet the field was when I played soccer on Sunday? Well, I forgot to take my spikes out of the truck and they baked in the sun on those really warm days.

Me: That doesn’t sound good.

Mark: No it’s not. The first thing I thought of is that my truck smells like your car.

Me: Laugher. Laugher. Grr. Laughter.

While my lack of housekeeping skills sometimes causes me to deal with issues of internal shame and eternal embarrassment, I’m actually much more accepting about the state of my car. Especially this time of year.

In my car, one can usually find my bike helmet, mismatched bike gloves, empty water and gatorade bottles along with empty reusable bottles which will likely end up in a landfill because they have started to grow mold after I forgot to bring them in after a run/ride weeks ago. There will be gel and energy bar wrapper and plastic sandwich bags which have held fig newtons, IDs and cell phones. Scraps of paper used as bike cue sheets or reminders of workouts will be crumpled in between the seats.

And, from time to time my car will house my cycling shoes and running kicks from which the bulk of the funky smell emanates although leaving my wetsuit in the back overnight might not have been a keen idea either. I love Lake Erie, but that doesn’t mean I want Bounce to make a dryer sheet which smells like Lake Erie.

I know this complete tally since I tidied up my car. I may have passengers in it who are not endurance athletes. Hence, they might not appreciate a stray Clif Shot Block attached to their shoe. I love to proselytize about running, cycling and swimming but I don’t think baptism by olfactory ambush is a good way to win recruits. No one ever walked into a dressing room at an ice rink, took a big whiff and said. “Gee, I really want to play hockey now!”

Not everyone turns their vehicle into a traveling locker room.

For me, it’s one of the sure signs that I’m an endurance athlete, even if one of my weekend task involves cleaning and a mega dose of air freshener.

It was Monday, June 14th, 5:30 pm at the water’s edge at Valley Lo club in Glenview, IL. Art Shay, photographer and photo journalist of Life Magazine, Time, Fortune, Business Week, Sports Illustrated and many more, wheeled his equipment out to the beach to take photos for our TRI the Journey book cover.

The “take” was a blast and went fabulously well. Joni Dobson, Nancy Hurst, Hope Martin, Libby Hurley and myself all shimmed into our wet suits to smile, laugh, and show the spirit of the tri. Women coming together to embark on the tri training journey, who then come to cross the finish line. It’s truly a life changing experience!

For the sake of background, I meet Art Shay in 2008  in a couple of different instances. We both attended the North Shore Magazine 30th Anniversary Party at  Marcello’s restaurant (Jersey Boys cast in attendance!) His wife Florence was there as well and their passion and vitality for life was certainly evident. Art is a WW II veteran- taking his first Leica camera to war. They have traveled the world, met Presidents, icons (like Martin Luther King, Jr.), professional athletes, and ordinary folks like us….Florence runs a specialty book store, Titles, in Highland Park, featuring rare books. Check out her blog at, Titles, Inc.

Art’s career was featured in an issue of North Shore and I came to realize his foot print in this world is remarkable!  He was kind enough to follow up with giving our family a couple of his signed books, “Animals” and “Chicago Accent.”  Special gems, I must say!

So, when Libby and  I needed to arrange for a photo to be taken for our book cover, Bruce immediately suggested Art and gave him a buzz. He quickly agreed.

On the 14th, the skies threatened showers and thunderstorms. There is a God..Libby and I agree…as the rain held off. The cloudy sky was perfect lighting for photos (no squinting by us models, either). Bruce was there..helping us and Art..relishing the moment.

At the water’s edge, we locked arms, smiled, jumped, kicked up some sand and water, even picked up Libby – the star of the show. Art’s Nikkon clicked away incessantly- catching us jumping in the air, then landing softly in the sand. He made time stand still. Before we knew it – hundreds of photos were taken. Art, behind the lens, said “really beautiful!”  and “quick, get together. The lighing is perfect – couldn’t get it better in the studio!”

His joy for taking photos was evident. It’s his life’s work and he is beyond talented.He even hung out with us after he took 365 photos…to share photos of him with us, share some of his memories, and his photos in his book “Couples.”

I was beaming – so full of gratitude that this dream of writing a book on a subject I’m so passionate about, then, on top of it all, working with Art and these incredible athletes was beyond my wildest dreams.

We’ve definitely got one- one photo that will capture the essence of our book!

(stay tuned to find out which one!!)  The BOOK IS AVAILABLE! Check out cover photo and details on our website: Tri the Journey and buy a book…..

Libby and I signed a book deal last week to publish our book “TRI The Journey; A Women’s Inspirational Guide to Becoming a Triathlete in 12 Weeks.”  We’re ecstatic! We are pulling together inspirational stories from women who have done triathlons, including the how-to of tris, expert advice, and journaling pages. It’s going to be awesome!!

The journey to finding a publisher has been an incredible experience….writing the proposal and figuring out the contents, finding an agent, then finding a publisher. It’s been tough but a dream come true for both of us!!

Now for a fun part of the process…interviewing and writing the book…deadline Oct. 1 with publication in early 2011.

As I interview and write….I continue to train. Life is good.  This is really what I want to do!

I cycled for the first time outside 2 weeks ago with Kim and Libby. Ah…the joy! So great to get back on the bike. We were all thrilled to be out there and pushed ourselves beyond our usual pace. All feeling great.

What is raw friendship while sweating on a bike? We bitch and moan about a few troubles in life- hubby’s complaints, kid’s whining, not so perfect bodies…but it’s our time, our time together taking care of ourselves. Doing what we love to do- no make-up, don’t care. This is who we are. It’s US, the way we like it!

I ran yesterday…alone in the first day of any slight feeling of humidity in the air. I felt the fitness my body has become. I felt the muscles in my legs surging, getting stronger. I felt my ankles. Seemed like my body has transformed with these long runs…these temp runs and track workouts. In a way I felt I owed my body RACE day…after all the work/the JOURNEY…I owe it to race on June 13. I WILL DO IT. It’s about the training, the prepping, learning the voice of my body…getting ready and knowing how to hydrate, eat, keep it in shape. I’m in it to finish the 13.1 miles. I know I’ll be ready.

Trust your plan! GO FOR IT..whether it’s a race or a dream of writing a book. Put your mind to it, work hard and do it!

Clicca qui x video

I attended a seminar by Joe Friel today and it was A-MAZ-ING.  It was just the kick in the but I need to get back on track.  He is such a wonderful coach and his experience is astounding.  I was able to take a lot away from the seminar but it also showed me that there is so much more that I need to learn to do my best at this sport.  I think I have been doing well in my training but I need to move onto the next level.  I’m starting to feel a little under the weather and hope that it clears up quickly.  I have no time to slow down on training, especially my swimming.  I hope to be back on track over the next few days.  Sunlight would help greatly with my motivation….where are u??

“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

The last two weekends have been BIG, and this post will just talk a bit about those, as a guide to the sort of stuff that I do to make sure I am confident I can get through the longest day in triathlon.

Last weekend was pretty average weather wise.  Melbourne is fairly windy at this time of year (read strong wind warnings issued by the Bureau of Meteorology are issued more often than not), so Saturday was spent on the wind trainer for two hours.  Key set was 10 minutes seated in big ring 12, 10 mins easy..x 4.  These sessions have really improved my climbing ability.

Sunday was an iron-brick session.  Left home at 7.50am and the training was done at 4.30pm.  The session, 154k on the bike and then a 21k run.  The bike ride had about the same amount of climbing as IM Canada… so it was a good hit-out. 

I didnt feel that good half way through the run, and know I would have struggled to complete an IM well on this day.  I suspect it was a lack of drinking, only 4 bidons during a 6 hour bike ride isn’t enough.  So next time I do this session, I will try and drink 6.

That is one of the GREAT advantages of these long bricks, you really get a chance to test your race day nutrition.  A 4-5 hour ride or a 2-3 hour ride by itself doesn’t give you that chance. Stay out there for 8-10 hours, and you know if you are doing something wrong!!

This weekend was a big weekend, with my longest ride and run.  Saturday was 171k, including 2005m of ascending, and oh my god, a lot of wind.  The IM bike ride cant be any harder than this ride…. although with the temperature being 36 celcius earlier this week in Penticton, that would be tough if it stays that hot til the end of August.  But surely that is unlikely???  (famous last words perhaps!)

That ride was backed up with a 28k easy run in 2hrs 55 today.  For the first time EVER I have been able to run comfortably at 75% of max heart rate.  Just maybe, after 15 ironman’s, I am getting the hang of it!! 

Having done three to four 3000m swims and with a longest swim of 3500m, I feel comfortable in the water (finally) also.  I haven’t done so many speed sets (winter swimming does suck!) so have done more long sets.  We will see if that’s a good or a bad thing on race day!!

Coming up this week will be a focus on swimming and riding, and I might have a relatively easy week to rest up the foot to make sure there are no issues.  Then this weekend is the second crap at the iron-brick, and hopefully the extra couple of bidons will solve the problem.

And if all of this seems like awful lot of running, well it is more than I usually do.  But I have my first ultra marathon coming up just 4 weeks after IM Canada.  So I am trying to keep the mileage up for that event too.

And I leave you with some photos of Canada…

At the swim start…

The start of the IM Canada bike course…

Biking by the lake…so its not ALL hills…

In fact, this is what the course looks like…

And cresting Richter Pass…(which is the steep middle climb)

Just four weeks to go… bring it on!!

Chris

This was my first time racing a sprint in a while.  Why? They hurt! I like the longer distance races, not that those don’t hurt or anything.  On the other hand, red lining it for 60 minutes can be lots of fun as well!

I signed up the day of the race and was put in the 5th wave.  Even with the waves only being maybe 30-40 people at a time, it was still a rough swim.  The swim was in a man-made lake and pretty tight.  I caught a stiff elbow in the jaw and had to swim over two people – they kept pushing me outwards (ie, were swimming in the wrong direction).  Sorry! Ha!  Even though the swim was short, I decided to swim in my Zoot SpeedZoot.  I’ve never swam in it yet and wanted to try it out.  It almost makes you feel like you’re swimming nekked.  Nice!

Coming out of the water I just started hammering.  Looking back there were a couple times where I probably could have kept pressure on the pedals, but I wanted to have a good run as well.  Being in the fifth wave leaves you lots of people on cruiser bikes to pass.  Whats even better is that I ride a Zipp 999 wheelset (808 up front, 900 disc in the back) and they’re LOUD!  I love catching up to people and having them look back cause they hear me coming up on them.  Makes me smile everytime.  It was a flat 15 mile ride.  I came in around 35:00 +/- :10, which gave me a split mph avg of 25.7 mph.  I’ll take that!

After a quick T2 it was off running.  I’m not really used to running really fast right away.  I started out pretty easy, then remembered what type of race I was in.  Get ‘em going! The course started out running in the grass around a baseball field.  I don’t mind running on grass but this stuff was’t level in the least bit.  I almost fell 3-4 times with the ground dropping from underneath me and running over holes.  Thankfully that didn’t last too long and we got onto the roads.  I had to stop for a split second and yank on my laces to tighten them up.  Then got down to business. At the turn around I found I was the fourth person, but thats somewhat misleading as I started in the fifth wave.  I was ahead of some of them.  Anyways, I ran a bit harder on the way back, through the grass almost falling (again) and finished with a good kick to the finish line.  It was a flat 3 miler that I ran in 16:08.  5:23s.  Yup, I’ll take that as well.

When all the results where compiled I ended up with an overall time of 59:21, placing 2nd Overall and 1st in my AG. So close. For having not done a sprint in such a long time, nor even training even remotely close for a race of this type I’m happy with the results.

Since the race was so short, a few of us took off after the race and rode the Door County 70.3 bike course.  Nice scenery, but some not-so-good roads on the course.  Either way, it should be a fun race in a few weeks!

I was up at my regular morning coffee spot AJs on Huron st Takapuna around that time when Andy the owner heard me talking about the swim with one of my colleagues, he too had done the swim and for about the 3rd time that week I was asked what squad I was a part of? Again sheepishly replying that I wasn’t apart of a club at all, he suggested I get along with the guys he trains with – a ‘good bunch of guys, train hard but good for a laugh along the way’ and so I did.

Most of the team training are members of the North Harbour Triathlon Club for which Fit For Fun run a program coached and setup by some of NZ’s top athletes and Triathlon coaches, fear not those of you who are new to the sport, just want to see if you like it, or don’t think you are at ‘that’ level the training is setup for all ages there is strong contingent of under 19yr olds and equally as strong are those still battling away in the over 50′s  so get in touch with the team via their website – www.fitforfun.co.nz look forward to seeing you down there.

To date I have been focusing on my swimming, mainly through lack of a bike and hate for running or yogging, training once a week in the pool and twice a week in the ocean. The sessions have been great and vary between sprint work and distance with the Saturday morning swim being part of a swim/bike/run set, I have found my shoulder is still playing up a little bit but I think now I have it at a level where it is manageable and mainly comes down to my technique, in saying that I’m not completely confident and have been to the physio who might yet send me off for a scan – could be an ongoing issue from my snowboarding crash or a case of swimmers shoulder.