Pre-race routine
My pre-race routine was pretty normal. I got up early so I didnt' have to rush. My brother, Matt, and I headed over to Fort Wilderness to meet Randy and Lance since they had a cabin there. We got there around 4:30. Ate a bagel with some peanut butter and a yogurt. We headed to the transition area around 4:45. It was great having the guys stay there, Matt dropped us off almost at the transistion area.
Event warmup:The boys were with the Challenged Athletes Foundation so they went off right after the pros. I said good bye to Matt and Morgan and went to get in the water. I was almost late for my start!
Swim
So swimming is by far my weakness in any aspect of triathlon. I pretty much hate it. My wave was the last wave of women, so I was fully expecting to get knocked around a little bit. I stood at the back of the wave as the gun went off. I've been working on keeping my face in the water. Last year I did the entire race doggie paddling. My goal was to be out the water in 50 minutes. When I got out there I knew it was going to be a long morning. It was really choppy. I don't know if anyone else thought so, but it was pretty rough for someone who doesn't swim like me. I did okay for the first few hundred yards, concentrating on putting my face in the water and actually "swimming". Then came the boys and it was all over. I swear I've never had my butt and legs grabbed more in my life! I took in a lot of water and just tried to keep calm. There were a bunch of people hanging on to rafts and boards. That really didn't help the confidance. I could finally see my brother and Morgan standing on the beach. By this point I was ready to be done with the swim. I knew I wasn't going to be out in 50 minutes, but I figured with the conditions it was okay.
What would you do differently?
Put my face in the water and actually swim! Next year I want to be out of the water in 42 minutes!
T1
T1 was great! I remembered from last year that it was a long way from the water to the transition area. In and out, no worries here.
What would you do differently?
Nothing
Bike
I live here in Windermere, so the course literally passed my neighborhood. I have trained on it a few times over the last few months. I thought the course was a little windy. The first few miles went alond pretty quickly. I was worried I was drinking too much water when my areo bottle was empty at mile 12. Thank godness there was an aid station at around 13 or 14. Refilled there and was good to go. Used a mix of Perpetum and Heed. Did a 24 oz bottle every hour and a half. That worked out great. Other than the wind in the beginning things were going well. Then the skies opened up and down came the rain. At first it was refreshing, then just annoying. I was worried I was going to wipe out especially during all of the turns. I dropped my new sunglasses at around mile 37. Crap! They were brand new. I had to stop at the aid station to use the rest room at around mile 40. There was a great kid who was volunteering. He saw I was coming over to him and asked if I was okay. I told him I just had to pee and he screams, "we've got a pit stop!" All of these volunteers come running over. One helps me off my bike, the other holds the door to the port a potty. When I came out a few seconds later, there was a fresh water in one of my bottle holders, my areo bottle had been refilled and I had a stash of Gu in my bento box! I couldn't believe it! That made my ride. I hopped back on the bike and was ready to get this thing done. I was very happy to pull back into Fort Wilderness. I'm pretty sure the bike was long, my GSP said we were at 58 miles.
What would you do differently?
Looking back, I probably could have pushed it a little harder on the bike. That dang rain messed me up. I was scared I was going to fall!
T2
When I got back to the transistion area there were volunteers telling everyone to be careful not to fall. I finally got to my stuff and of course it was soaking wet. Nice. I went from one wet pair of socks to another. Put my visor on and was out.
What would you do differently?
Have a pair of waterproof socks?
Run
I started out and was thrilled to be on the final leg of the race. I was so slow on the bike that there were tons of people cheering on all of the runners. The first lap was okay, my plan was to run a mile and walk for 2 minutes. It was crazy hot! The run walk plan didn't work out so well as it was like a sauna out there. I ran as much as I could and walked a good amount. I was stopping at evey aid station and pouring tons of water over my head. I've never been a "water dumper" but I guess I am now. Every aid station it was the same thing....GE, water to drink, water to dump and ice down the front and back of the tri suit. I ended up meeting some great people from Miami who are doing IMCDA next month. The lady was so sweet! She kept telling me how great I looked. I saw Randy and knew that he was one lap ahead of me. When I started the second lap I saw Lea, Rick, Ken, Kathy and Dave. That was awesome! Talk about motivation. Lea just kept telling me to listen to my body and everyone else was cheering for me. At about mile 6 I met a girl named Mary from Fort Lauderdale. We got each other through the next 6 miles. We would set little goals....run to the sign....walk to the tree. And so on and so forth. Man was it hot! We saw the gang again as we started our last lap. Lea told us to take care of each other. We started again with the run/walk and caught up to Mary's friend, Rachel, and her new friend, Eddie. We were together until about a 12.5. I was ready to be done with this thing. I kicked it up and ran towards the finish. I saw Matt, Morgan, Randy and the rest of the Tri Junkies there waiting for me. It was awesome!
What would you do differently?
I think this went well. Probably a little under trained. Running a little more would have been a great idea.
Post race
Listen to the announcer say my name and that I lived in Windermere. He then told everyone that I rode in my neighborhoon. I thought that was kind of cool. I posed for my photo and got my hat and shirt. I went back and waited for Mary and Rachel. Gave them a hug and said congrats! Saw the Tri Junkies and everyone at the finish line. We went in the VIP tent and had a sandwich. No beer! What the heck???
What limited your ability to perform faster:
Not enough training.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
May 7, 2008
So it's been a while since I've written on the blog. Things have just been a little crazy here. I've been working and swimming, biking and running a ton.
Things are going so much better with the swimming. I've been working with a girl named Koren who used to swim in college. I'm actually putting my face in the water now! I swam 3/4 of a mile this morning and felt great. I'm just hoping that I can be comfortable enough during the race to keep up with what she's taught me.
I did the Minnie Marathon this past Sunday. It was a 15K here at Disney. Great race. My goal was to finish in 1 hour and 45 minutes. I did it in 1:35:17 so I was very happy. I'm not a big fan of the start of the course. It starts in the parking lot of Disney's Animal Kingdom and goes down Osceola Parkway. Awful! Boring and no spectators. I knew that if I could get through the first 5 miles I'd be okay. Once we got into Hollywood Studios it was great. There were lots of spectators and people taking pictures. The race ended in the parking lot of Epcot. We ran through World Showcase on the way there.
I rode 50 miles with Lea and Brian yesterday. It was a good ride, but tough. I think my body was just really tired. We rode through the hills of Clermont. I never do hills so I spend very little time in my small chain ring. When riding hills you become very close with your small chain ring pretty fast. Well, I dropped my chain twice. I had to get off my bike and put the chain back on. How fun! I ended up with bike grease all over myself. After I got the chain back on, my left cleat wouldn't clip back in. I ended up shoving the shoe in the cleat and it got stuck. I had to ride the last 12 miles with my foot permanently in the cleat. I kept praying that I didn't have to clip out at the spur of the moment. I really was just hoping that I didn't get hit by a car! I had to go the bathroom at one point. I felt like Britney Spears-I walked into the bathroom in a sock and one shoe! I took my bike to the shop and they can salvage the shoe, I just need a new cleat.
I've started on protein shakes. Both Kelli (my trainer at the gym) and Lea think that I'm not getting enough protein. They both say that could be why I've been so tired all the time. We'll see, but for what it's worth-they taste like crap.
My 70.3 race is a week from this coming Sunday and I'm officially in taper mode. No more long swims, bikes or runs (well, until my training for IMAZ kicks in)! I have to admit I'm looking forward to just going out for a run because I want to, not because my training plan calls for it.
I'm hoping that I can get a bib number for the Danskin Triathlon this Sunday. I missed the registration and it filled to capacity in about 2 hours. Lea is going to see if she can get me in. It's just a Sprint Distance so I think it would be great for me do to get ready for the 70.3.
I'll keep everyone posted and remember that forward motion is key!
Things are going so much better with the swimming. I've been working with a girl named Koren who used to swim in college. I'm actually putting my face in the water now! I swam 3/4 of a mile this morning and felt great. I'm just hoping that I can be comfortable enough during the race to keep up with what she's taught me.
I did the Minnie Marathon this past Sunday. It was a 15K here at Disney. Great race. My goal was to finish in 1 hour and 45 minutes. I did it in 1:35:17 so I was very happy. I'm not a big fan of the start of the course. It starts in the parking lot of Disney's Animal Kingdom and goes down Osceola Parkway. Awful! Boring and no spectators. I knew that if I could get through the first 5 miles I'd be okay. Once we got into Hollywood Studios it was great. There were lots of spectators and people taking pictures. The race ended in the parking lot of Epcot. We ran through World Showcase on the way there.
I rode 50 miles with Lea and Brian yesterday. It was a good ride, but tough. I think my body was just really tired. We rode through the hills of Clermont. I never do hills so I spend very little time in my small chain ring. When riding hills you become very close with your small chain ring pretty fast. Well, I dropped my chain twice. I had to get off my bike and put the chain back on. How fun! I ended up with bike grease all over myself. After I got the chain back on, my left cleat wouldn't clip back in. I ended up shoving the shoe in the cleat and it got stuck. I had to ride the last 12 miles with my foot permanently in the cleat. I kept praying that I didn't have to clip out at the spur of the moment. I really was just hoping that I didn't get hit by a car! I had to go the bathroom at one point. I felt like Britney Spears-I walked into the bathroom in a sock and one shoe! I took my bike to the shop and they can salvage the shoe, I just need a new cleat.
I've started on protein shakes. Both Kelli (my trainer at the gym) and Lea think that I'm not getting enough protein. They both say that could be why I've been so tired all the time. We'll see, but for what it's worth-they taste like crap.
My 70.3 race is a week from this coming Sunday and I'm officially in taper mode. No more long swims, bikes or runs (well, until my training for IMAZ kicks in)! I have to admit I'm looking forward to just going out for a run because I want to, not because my training plan calls for it.
I'm hoping that I can get a bib number for the Danskin Triathlon this Sunday. I missed the registration and it filled to capacity in about 2 hours. Lea is going to see if she can get me in. It's just a Sprint Distance so I think it would be great for me do to get ready for the 70.3.
I'll keep everyone posted and remember that forward motion is key!
Monday, April 28, 2008
April 28th, 2008
So today was my rest day and boy, did I need it. I set out last night with the intention of riding 60 miles. As soon as I got on the bike I thought to myself, "well, this is going to be a long night."
The wind was blowing like crazy and the traffic was really bad for a Sunday evening. I left my house at 4:30 and knew I need to be home by 7:30 before it got dark. Once I had gotten out on my bike, I was really questioning if this would be possible.
I rode what I call the "Avalon Road Loop" three times. The last time I rode it I thought one loop was about 20 miles. Well, it's 18, not 20. That was a bit of a bummer.
I got about 4 miles in when I noticed that the little flags that were in the ground marking the telephone wires on the side of the road were blowing like crazy. When I came up on Independence their flags were flapping and snapping all over the place. I thought maybe I was just being a wimp until I realized that it was in fact windy. Good to know....
The first loop was pretty uneventful other than the wind. I dropped my chain going up the main hill on the loop. What a pain, I had to get off of my bike to fix it and I got all greasy.
If I never ride on Stoneybrook Parkway again it will be too soon. I was headed right into the wind again and kept think to myself, "great this is one of 3, am I nuts? I'm shorting the route and skipping this part on the next 2 loops." I knew myself well enough to know that I wouldn't actually do it, but it sounded good at the time.
On the second loop I got back to "the hill" and I heard the sound of a car honking me at me. The next thing I know there are 2 motorcycles passing me. One on either side! I was livid! Screaming and yelling. Lots of good it did me...because I'm sure they heard me as they were flying by on their motorcycles.
I stopped at a fire station to refill my water. Really nice fireman helped me out. He asked how far I was riding. Let him know my plan was to do 60. He said, "miles???" I just smiled and laughed.
By the 3rd loop I was getting really hungry. I just kept telling myself I was almost done. Again, Stoneybrook Parkway was just plain bad. You would think that it would be easy but the wind was just brutal.
I finally made it home 3 hours and nine minutes later. Rode a total of 51 miles.
So glad that today is my Friday, I'm sleepy!
The wind was blowing like crazy and the traffic was really bad for a Sunday evening. I left my house at 4:30 and knew I need to be home by 7:30 before it got dark. Once I had gotten out on my bike, I was really questioning if this would be possible.
I rode what I call the "Avalon Road Loop" three times. The last time I rode it I thought one loop was about 20 miles. Well, it's 18, not 20. That was a bit of a bummer.
I got about 4 miles in when I noticed that the little flags that were in the ground marking the telephone wires on the side of the road were blowing like crazy. When I came up on Independence their flags were flapping and snapping all over the place. I thought maybe I was just being a wimp until I realized that it was in fact windy. Good to know....
The first loop was pretty uneventful other than the wind. I dropped my chain going up the main hill on the loop. What a pain, I had to get off of my bike to fix it and I got all greasy.
If I never ride on Stoneybrook Parkway again it will be too soon. I was headed right into the wind again and kept think to myself, "great this is one of 3, am I nuts? I'm shorting the route and skipping this part on the next 2 loops." I knew myself well enough to know that I wouldn't actually do it, but it sounded good at the time.
On the second loop I got back to "the hill" and I heard the sound of a car honking me at me. The next thing I know there are 2 motorcycles passing me. One on either side! I was livid! Screaming and yelling. Lots of good it did me...because I'm sure they heard me as they were flying by on their motorcycles.
I stopped at a fire station to refill my water. Really nice fireman helped me out. He asked how far I was riding. Let him know my plan was to do 60. He said, "miles???" I just smiled and laughed.
By the 3rd loop I was getting really hungry. I just kept telling myself I was almost done. Again, Stoneybrook Parkway was just plain bad. You would think that it would be easy but the wind was just brutal.
I finally made it home 3 hours and nine minutes later. Rode a total of 51 miles.
So glad that today is my Friday, I'm sleepy!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
April 26, 2008
So I'm now registered for an Ironman. Holy crap! What did I get myself into? I guess if I wasn't nervous it wouldn't be an Ironman, right?
Right now my focus is on having a PR for the Florida 70.3 race on May 18th. Matt will be in town and Mario is taking the day off of work so it will be nice to have some fans there to cheer me on. I think Adrienne, Nikki, Ellen, Steve and Morgan are going to be there, too. Last year when I did the race none of my family could come. That was kind of a bummer, but I did it just the same.
Last year's race was great. Hot, but I live in Florida so I should be used to it. I finished the race without training one bit. Not something I'm proud of, so this year I've been training. I've even started working out with a coach that I'm going to hire for IMAZ. I rode most of the race course with Lea and Brian last week. We weren't able to do the whole course because some of it is through Disney property and they block the rodes during the race. I did 18 yesterday. I am lucky in that I can ride some of the race course anytime. There is a stretch right near my house. I want to say it's around miles 30 to 50. It is the "hilly" part of the course. I know, I know, there really aren't hills in Florida, but this is as close as we get. I rode the 18 miles in 59:39. My goal as IMAZ gets closer is to knock that down by 15 minutes. Tomorrow after work my plan is to do 60. So all of those text messages I keep getting about going to O'Shuck's tonight? Yeah, I'll have to pass. Thanks.....
Swimming, let's talk about swimming.....what can I say except that I don't like it and I don't do it very well. I often wonder if something happened to me as a child and gave me some crazy fear. My mom doesn't like the water, so that could be where I get it. It may be to the point that if this doesn't get better I just might call a sports shrink. Oh, no, I'm not too proud-it's an Ironman for god's sake. I have to be able to swim.
I just bought a wetsuit....how cool are wetsuits? At least I won't drown in the Tempe Town Lake! Now Bay Lake on the 18th is another story (the Florida 70.3 isn't wet suit legal).
I'm meeting with Koren on Tuesday out at NTC so she can teach me how to swim. I think I might join the Master's Swim Program out there, too. We'll see. More on swimming later....I'm too bad at it right now to spend a lot of time on it.
The run....one would think that after running as many marathons as I have this would be the easy part. Is there an easy part of an Ironman? I've even heard of people practicing their transitions. I've been running a few times a week. I did 5 the other day and it was great. I have a new route that goes by all of these beautiful houses here in Windermere. I've started wearing a hat or a visor when I run. They are quite possibly the greatest invention ever! I was always worried I would get hot so I never wore one. Funny as it sounds, I started wearing one when I would run after my long bike rides. There was a cute guy and the bike helmet would mess up my hair! How pathetic am I? Anyway, I love visors now, mostly because they keep my hair out of my eyes and second they are great for the sun here in the Sunshine State. I have this great M-Dot visor. Can I wear it even though I've only done a 70.3? Hmmmm, am I being "that guy"? You know, the one who wears the race shirt on the day of the race. Well, even if I am "that guy" I wear the hat since it's a goal of mine. A goal that will be accomplished on November 23, 2008 in Tempe, Arizona.
Well, that's it for now. I didn't do any triaining today and it felt great! Tomorrow is the St. Anthony's tri in Clearwater. So bummed I'm not racing. Next year, I guess.
Until tomorrow....
Right now my focus is on having a PR for the Florida 70.3 race on May 18th. Matt will be in town and Mario is taking the day off of work so it will be nice to have some fans there to cheer me on. I think Adrienne, Nikki, Ellen, Steve and Morgan are going to be there, too. Last year when I did the race none of my family could come. That was kind of a bummer, but I did it just the same.
Last year's race was great. Hot, but I live in Florida so I should be used to it. I finished the race without training one bit. Not something I'm proud of, so this year I've been training. I've even started working out with a coach that I'm going to hire for IMAZ. I rode most of the race course with Lea and Brian last week. We weren't able to do the whole course because some of it is through Disney property and they block the rodes during the race. I did 18 yesterday. I am lucky in that I can ride some of the race course anytime. There is a stretch right near my house. I want to say it's around miles 30 to 50. It is the "hilly" part of the course. I know, I know, there really aren't hills in Florida, but this is as close as we get. I rode the 18 miles in 59:39. My goal as IMAZ gets closer is to knock that down by 15 minutes. Tomorrow after work my plan is to do 60. So all of those text messages I keep getting about going to O'Shuck's tonight? Yeah, I'll have to pass. Thanks.....
Swimming, let's talk about swimming.....what can I say except that I don't like it and I don't do it very well. I often wonder if something happened to me as a child and gave me some crazy fear. My mom doesn't like the water, so that could be where I get it. It may be to the point that if this doesn't get better I just might call a sports shrink. Oh, no, I'm not too proud-it's an Ironman for god's sake. I have to be able to swim.
I just bought a wetsuit....how cool are wetsuits? At least I won't drown in the Tempe Town Lake! Now Bay Lake on the 18th is another story (the Florida 70.3 isn't wet suit legal).
I'm meeting with Koren on Tuesday out at NTC so she can teach me how to swim. I think I might join the Master's Swim Program out there, too. We'll see. More on swimming later....I'm too bad at it right now to spend a lot of time on it.
The run....one would think that after running as many marathons as I have this would be the easy part. Is there an easy part of an Ironman? I've even heard of people practicing their transitions. I've been running a few times a week. I did 5 the other day and it was great. I have a new route that goes by all of these beautiful houses here in Windermere. I've started wearing a hat or a visor when I run. They are quite possibly the greatest invention ever! I was always worried I would get hot so I never wore one. Funny as it sounds, I started wearing one when I would run after my long bike rides. There was a cute guy and the bike helmet would mess up my hair! How pathetic am I? Anyway, I love visors now, mostly because they keep my hair out of my eyes and second they are great for the sun here in the Sunshine State. I have this great M-Dot visor. Can I wear it even though I've only done a 70.3? Hmmmm, am I being "that guy"? You know, the one who wears the race shirt on the day of the race. Well, even if I am "that guy" I wear the hat since it's a goal of mine. A goal that will be accomplished on November 23, 2008 in Tempe, Arizona.
Well, that's it for now. I didn't do any triaining today and it felt great! Tomorrow is the St. Anthony's tri in Clearwater. So bummed I'm not racing. Next year, I guess.
Until tomorrow....
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