Ok here is the question of the day.....
Does becoming a triathlete cause a person to crave sushi? Is all of the time in the water turning me into a cannibalistic fish?
Strange I know but for the past couple of months I have been craving sushi like crazy. I cannot seem to get enough of the raw fish. My favorite sushi is either the spicy tuna roll, Maguro tuna, and Mexican Rolls. Of course I am constantly asking all of my friends if they would like to go have sushi. I never used to crave sushi like this so I am thinking that all of the swimming has something to do with this desire.
I know that after I run a marathon, I always crave cheeseburgers, not the McDonald's kind but the kind you would make on the grill yourself. So now I crave sushi. What will I crave riding the bike?
This is going to be one crazy post race meal....Sushi Appetizer, Cheeseburger entree and ???? Any suggestions.......
I think it is time to go get some sushi!
XOXOX,
Elizabeth
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
St. Anthony's Triathlon in one word....WOW!
What a weekend! I went to the St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Pete to cheer on some friends! All I can say is WOW! Amazing! I cannot wait until registration opens for 2009. Which by the way is Dec 1, 2008. I will be signed up as soon as it opens.
I drove down to St. Pete Beach with little Debbie on Friday night after work. Driving through town we saw bicycles everywhere. We made it to the hotel about 9:30pm. Unloaded the car and grabbed a bite to eat. Saturday was going to be a crazy busy day.
We woke up bright and early at 6:45am on Saturday morning as we needed to be in St Pete by 8:30 for the open water swim. Team in Training had set up the open water swim on part of the race swim course for their participants to get in a last minute training swim the day before the race. My friends told me I should come and get in the water with them. I had yet to do an ocean swim so I was very nervous as we drove up to the pier. My nerves certainly did not calm down as walked down to the water and saw the waves and mass of TNT swimmers. However I knew I had to face my fears and get into the water. After all my Ironman swim will be in the ocean in November.
Karen and Missey got into the water with me and we walked out and started to swim. Our plan was to get to the first buoy, turn around and come back. Karen was swimming in front of me and Missey was swimming to my side. Thank goodness, as I had no idea how to swim against the waves. I made it out to the first buoy with quite a bit of encouragement. Once there we treaded water for a couple of minutes as I had swallowed a bit of (OK... a lot of) the ocean on the way out. They asked if I was ready to turn back. I told them no I wanted to continue. Apparently salt water makes you crazy. So we swam out to the second buoy. This time common sense had returned and I agreed to swim back to the shore.
Once back on shore they were both congratulating me, I must have looked scared to death as Karen said ok now get a drink and we are going back in for a second swim. I agreed, again... salt water makes you crazy. I took a drink from our awesome support crew Debbie and headed back down the beach to the water. We sent Missey out on her swim as we knew she had to get some distance in. Karen had been swimming before we arrived so she was done with her distance and offered to swim with me. As we walked into the water, Karen hugged me and said, "I have two pieces of advice for you. 1. Become one with the water and 2. Push your head down, squeeze and lift your butt." We started to swim. This time, I did not fight the water and current. I actually enjoyed the swim. We only swam out to the first buoy and back but I really feel like I did much better the second time. When we exited the water I was ecstatic and bummed at the same time. Ecstatic because I had done a swim in the ocean and bummed because I was not going to do the event with them the next day.
We waited for Missey to exit the water not knowing she had to help another TNT participant who got a bit nervous on her swim and panicked in the water. After a few minutes Missey found us and told us what was going on, we left the beach, quick put on bike gear and headed out on a twenty minute ride. OOPS! We forgot the Meek and Mighty triathlon was going on so we kept getting re-routed.
After an easy 25 minutes on the bike, we returned to the beach to listen to Dave Scott, 6 time Ironman World Champion give last minute tips and answer questions from the TNT participants. That was so awesome. He is actually really funny and a great informational resource. I had my picture made with him and I will post it when I get a copy of it.
After the talk and after Missey and Debbie completed a 20 minute recovery run, we were off to the expo. Rick needed to pick up his packet and everyone needed to rack their bikes in bike transition. WOW! what an expo. I love the marathon race expos so I knew I would love the triathlon ones as well. I met Sister Madonna Buder and Scott Rigsby. I had my picture made with Sister Madonna. I will post that one as well when I get a copy of it. If you don't know who they are, Sister Madonna is the oldest women to ever complete the Ironman World Championship in Kona. She has also completed over 200 triathlons and as well as many marathons. She is an amazing inspiration. Scott Rigsby is the first double below the knee amputee to complete an Ironman. Like I stated two amazing people.
After a long day we headed back to the hotel to rest everyone was competing in the race the next day. We decided, thanks Debbie, to take a nice relaxing paddle boat ride around the hotel. That was a workout. I don't think any of us will be doing that again the night before a race. Thank goodness I did not have to race on Sunday my legs felt like led when we were done. LOL, just kidding Debbie but it really was harder than any of us thought.
We were supposed to meet Karen, her mom and some of her friends back in town for dinner but just as we got back to the room, another one of our friends called and said she was on her way to town. We called Karen and left her a message telling her we would miss dinner but see her in the morning at the race start. We also found out at this time there was no late checkout so we would have to check out of the room at 5:15 am on our way to the race but it turns out this was the best thing. More on that later.
Race morning! Another early day. The alarm went off at 4:30 am. Woo-Hoo I love mornings! I can tell you I was a bit bummed that I was not doing the race. I finished packing, called the valet and ordered all of the cars. I loaded up and headed down to put all of our gear into the cars. While I was waiting on the valet, I noticed a small group of TNT'ers that looked a bit nervous. On my second trip down, one of them walked up and said "Are you going to the race?" I said sure am what is up. She quickly told me they were from the NYC chapter and had decided to skip the bus transportation at 4am to the start in order to get an extra hour of sleep. They had reserved a car which had not shown up. She wanted to know if there was any way we could drive them over. There were 10 of them, thankfully we had four cars. I said load up and let's go. We crammed their gear in with ours, divided everyone into the cars and we were on our way.
We arrived at the race at 6am. Perfect timing. Missey, Rick and our band of TNT'ers jumped out and headed to race transition to do their final race prep. The rest of us took the cars and parked them just in time to see the U.S Army parachutists jump out of helicopters with the American Flag. The gun went off and the pro's hit the water. Missey and Rick met us at the cars and we walked down to the beach. What a site. There were about 4000 triathletes on the beach waiting for their wave to be called. Every five minutes a wave went off. We stayed on the beach until Karen's wave went off at 8:40 and then headed to the water exit. We missed Rick getting out of the water as his wave went off at 7:25 and he is a really fast swimmer. However we saw everyone else get out of the water and onto their bikes.
Our group divided up. Mike and Vi went over to the run course, Steve went to the bike in, Debbie was at the bike transition outside the fence but near Missey's rack. Kim and I were at the finish line which was also the run out. We played telephone tag and kept each other posted as to where everyone was on the course. Each of us taking pictures as our friends passed.
Here are their results! Holey Smoke they are AMAZING. Can I say that again? THEY ARE AMAZING! In alphabetical order:
Karen Cowden 3:06:43 - This was her first Olympic Distance Event!!
Melissa Daly 3:56:12 - A NEW PERSONAL RECORD by over 10 minutes!
Rick Stafford 3:09:18 - This was his first triathlon since the IMFL in Nov '07 and with no training.
Ron Hitzel 3:25:45 - Only his second triathlon ever and a Personal Record as well.
To say that I am in awe is an understatement!! There are no words to express how proud of each of them I am!
I also want to say congrats to the Central Florida Tri Team peeps who competed this weekend, Coach Sean from Team Hendryx, who had an amazing time. Bill, one of my ex-marathon trainees also with Central Florida Tri who had an amazing swim but a blowout at mile 11 on the bike course, Michelle, Karen's friend and all of the rest of the 3500+ finishers this year! I cannot wait to be part of the group next year.
And to that end, Missey reserved rooms for us at the Hilton near the race start for next year! This is definitely not a race I want to miss again.
Anyone want to try a tri?
Can't wait for my next race. I think I am crazy. LOL!
XOXOX,
Elizabeth
P.S.
Missey - I read your blog and like I said yesterday, "Greatness takes time!" You are one awesome lady and don't you ever forget it.
Karen - I need more swimming lessons. One day I would like to grow up and swim like you!
Rick - What can I even say. You are an one heck of an athlete!
Kim, What is going to be your first race?
Debbie - You look amazing!
Steve - I have you in my thoughts! Good luck!
Mike and Vi - It was awesome being part of the "crew" again with you both. Glad I finally met Scooter.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Ponder This!
"The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be." Socrates
WOW! I have a dear friend who thinks everyone is dishonest and pretending to be something they are not. I usually argue with him about it but I wonder if he is not closer to being right than I am willing to admit.
Everyone pretends. Pretending is actually encouraged when we are children to stimulate our imagination. When we grow up, can we tell the difference between what is real and what is not in our lives? Who in our lives is just trying to take something from us and who actually cares.
I think everyone has fantasies of where they would like their lives to be or who they would like to be. What happens when you take that fantasy too seriously and it becomes your reality? It is like walking on the edge of a razor. If you are not perfectly balanced, you will slice your foot open.
I told my dear friend a long time ago I was not like anyone else he would meet as I really and truly try to be honest and be real and just be who I am but sometimes I wonder if I am capable of doing that forever or if one day I will succumb to the pull to be like everyone else and lose myself. Or will I never find anyone that would appreciate me for who I am and not try to get something or take something from me.
I guess the reason all of this is coming to my mind is that when I get together with my friends or when I complete a race I wish I had someone to share it with. Someone that appreciated me for being different and loved to be part of my life. I am not sure what the grand plan for my life is but sometimes I would just like a clue.
For those of you who are in my inner circle, I hope you know how much you mean to me and how grateful I am to have you in my life. My life has been made richer knowing you. Thank you for being my friends actually you are my family! Thank you for being real!
Have a great weekend everyone!
XOXOX,
Elizabeth
Everyone pretends. Pretending is actually encouraged when we are children to stimulate our imagination. When we grow up, can we tell the difference between what is real and what is not in our lives? Who in our lives is just trying to take something from us and who actually cares.
I think everyone has fantasies of where they would like their lives to be or who they would like to be. What happens when you take that fantasy too seriously and it becomes your reality? It is like walking on the edge of a razor. If you are not perfectly balanced, you will slice your foot open.
I told my dear friend a long time ago I was not like anyone else he would meet as I really and truly try to be honest and be real and just be who I am but sometimes I wonder if I am capable of doing that forever or if one day I will succumb to the pull to be like everyone else and lose myself. Or will I never find anyone that would appreciate me for who I am and not try to get something or take something from me.
I guess the reason all of this is coming to my mind is that when I get together with my friends or when I complete a race I wish I had someone to share it with. Someone that appreciated me for being different and loved to be part of my life. I am not sure what the grand plan for my life is but sometimes I would just like a clue.
For those of you who are in my inner circle, I hope you know how much you mean to me and how grateful I am to have you in my life. My life has been made richer knowing you. Thank you for being my friends actually you are my family! Thank you for being real!
Have a great weekend everyone!
XOXOX,
Elizabeth
Latest Updates
Hey everyone!
Sorry I have been so remiss in posting this week. It has been one of those weeks. The kids have had a crazy week, work has been busy and of course I am trying to train for the IMFL.
I did get some great training in. I swam 3100 yards on Tuesday night! WOW almost two miles. I have figured out that I don't really like swimming when I start swimming but after 10 minutes or so when I am warmed up, I love it. That is not to say I am fast or even a good swimmer for that matter but once I am going I can swim and swim and swim. LOL well maybe swim for a while but you get the point.
On Wednesday night I was going to to a run and a bike but Steve ended up inviting everyone over for dinner. Out the window went exercise. We had a great dinner. Steve grilled filet mignon, Karen made a fresh salad and we cracked open a bottle of Yellow Tail Shiraz. I love that wine. Two glasses later and I knew I was not going to be running or biking so I took the day as a rest day.
Thursday night I was supposed to do a 30 min run followed by an easy 1500 yard swim. I ran the thirty minutes on the treadmill at the Y and then quick changed for a jump in the pool. Of course my life being what it is, I was trying to help a friend with their swimming. Yes I know I am a newbie, but Karen had given me some drills which I was passing on. I finished my 1500 yards in 33 minutes but my friend still had quite a bit to go. Therefore I swam most of their workout as well with them to help them get it done. All in all I think I did somewhere between 2000 and 2500 yards. I quit counting after an hour in the pool. I made it home about 10:30 and crashed exhausted.
After work tonight, I am going to head to St Pete Beach. Karen, Missey, Rick and Ron as well as some other people I know are competing in the 25th annual St. Anthony's Triathlon on Sunday. And as this is the season opener for most professionals, the Ironman World Champion, Chris "Macca" McCormack will be there competing along with a host of other amazing pro's, Craig Alexander, Faris Al Sultan, Samantha McGlone. It is going to be one heck of an event to watch. I am so excited! I cannot wait to get on the road.
Tomorrow morning is an open water swim on the swim course which I am going to join in. Then at 9:30 the 5 time Ironman World Champ Dave Scott is giving a lecture. There is a huge expo with all kinds of vendors from Orbea, to Oakley to Her Sports to Timex. It is going to be awesome.
I am going to try and ride the bike course as well. Hopefully get in a few miles. Sunday will be spent running around from place to place trying to see all my friends on the race course. Next year this event is on my MUST DO - List!
Well I hope you all have a great weekend! I will post again after I have everyones' results.
Take Care!
XOXOX,
Elizabeth
Sorry I have been so remiss in posting this week. It has been one of those weeks. The kids have had a crazy week, work has been busy and of course I am trying to train for the IMFL.
I did get some great training in. I swam 3100 yards on Tuesday night! WOW almost two miles. I have figured out that I don't really like swimming when I start swimming but after 10 minutes or so when I am warmed up, I love it. That is not to say I am fast or even a good swimmer for that matter but once I am going I can swim and swim and swim. LOL well maybe swim for a while but you get the point.
On Wednesday night I was going to to a run and a bike but Steve ended up inviting everyone over for dinner. Out the window went exercise. We had a great dinner. Steve grilled filet mignon, Karen made a fresh salad and we cracked open a bottle of Yellow Tail Shiraz. I love that wine. Two glasses later and I knew I was not going to be running or biking so I took the day as a rest day.
Thursday night I was supposed to do a 30 min run followed by an easy 1500 yard swim. I ran the thirty minutes on the treadmill at the Y and then quick changed for a jump in the pool. Of course my life being what it is, I was trying to help a friend with their swimming. Yes I know I am a newbie, but Karen had given me some drills which I was passing on. I finished my 1500 yards in 33 minutes but my friend still had quite a bit to go. Therefore I swam most of their workout as well with them to help them get it done. All in all I think I did somewhere between 2000 and 2500 yards. I quit counting after an hour in the pool. I made it home about 10:30 and crashed exhausted.
After work tonight, I am going to head to St Pete Beach. Karen, Missey, Rick and Ron as well as some other people I know are competing in the 25th annual St. Anthony's Triathlon on Sunday. And as this is the season opener for most professionals, the Ironman World Champion, Chris "Macca" McCormack will be there competing along with a host of other amazing pro's, Craig Alexander, Faris Al Sultan, Samantha McGlone. It is going to be one heck of an event to watch. I am so excited! I cannot wait to get on the road.
Tomorrow morning is an open water swim on the swim course which I am going to join in. Then at 9:30 the 5 time Ironman World Champ Dave Scott is giving a lecture. There is a huge expo with all kinds of vendors from Orbea, to Oakley to Her Sports to Timex. It is going to be awesome.
I am going to try and ride the bike course as well. Hopefully get in a few miles. Sunday will be spent running around from place to place trying to see all my friends on the race course. Next year this event is on my MUST DO - List!
Well I hope you all have a great weekend! I will post again after I have everyones' results.
Take Care!
XOXOX,
Elizabeth
Monday, April 21, 2008
Amazing Women's Finish At The Boston Marathon
WOW!!! Did anyone besides me watch the Boston Marathon today? I had the live coverage streaming on my pc. The women's finish was a nail bitter. Dire Tune from Ethiopia outkicked Alevtina Biktimirova in the last 400 meters to finish first by only 2 seconds!! Amazing. These two women raced their hearts out. It was awesome.
In the men's race Robert Cheruiyot took off and left the rest of the men's elite field before HeartBreak Hill to win his fourth Boston race. He was just shy of beating the course record he set in 2006.
It is awesome to see runners with that much natural ability. But is just as awesome to see the last finisher cross the finish line. No matter whether you finish first or last, you get the same medal. I love the tradition at the Ironman races, the male and female winners come out to cheer the last finisher across and then place their medals on their necks.
I will never win a marathon or an Ironman, well win in the strictest definition of the word, but every time I cross the finish line I win in my mind. I win for all the people that will never be able to cross the finish line. I win for myself. I win for everyone else that decides to just take the first step outside to start exercising because they know I finished my race. Just knowing what I have accomplished on my own feet with my own inner strength is satisfaction enough! Try it you might like it!
Take Care!
XOXOX
Elizabeth
In the men's race Robert Cheruiyot took off and left the rest of the men's elite field before HeartBreak Hill to win his fourth Boston race. He was just shy of beating the course record he set in 2006.
It is awesome to see runners with that much natural ability. But is just as awesome to see the last finisher cross the finish line. No matter whether you finish first or last, you get the same medal. I love the tradition at the Ironman races, the male and female winners come out to cheer the last finisher across and then place their medals on their necks.
I will never win a marathon or an Ironman, well win in the strictest definition of the word, but every time I cross the finish line I win in my mind. I win for all the people that will never be able to cross the finish line. I win for myself. I win for everyone else that decides to just take the first step outside to start exercising because they know I finished my race. Just knowing what I have accomplished on my own feet with my own inner strength is satisfaction enough! Try it you might like it!
Take Care!
XOXOX
Elizabeth
....Wasted Weekend?
Hey there everyone! I hope you had a great weekend! Mine was kind of sucky but then it only shows how much you need to listen to your body.
On Friday I sent out the most awesome quote to all of my friends as inspiration for the tough training weekend ahead:
"I am building a fire and everyday I train I add more fuel....at just the right moment, I light the match." Mia Hamm
I was totally stoked and ready to get some serious miles on the bike. Training plan for the weekend:
Saturday: Long Swim
Warm-up: 300 yards
1st Set: 4 x 400 steady pace 1min rest
2nd Set: 2 x 200 steady pace 30 sec rest
3rd set: 6 x 100 1min rest
Cool Down: 200 yards easy stretching out
Sunday: Long Ride then Run (BRICK)
4hours on the bike
40min run
What I actually did:
Saturday:
8.5 miles easy on the bike
1000 yard swim
Sunday: nothing
I woke up early Saturday ready to swim, took the kids to their friend's soccer game so that I could get the workout done, stopped off at the grocery store and then went home to pack up my workout gear. As I started packing I realized my head was a bit tingly which for me means that I might be getting a migraine. I decided to lay down for just a bit to see if I could ward the migraine off at the pass. Wishful thinking on my part....
I woke up a little after 1pm. Agreed to meet Karen, Missey and Steve at the trail for a bike ride then do my long swim. Loaded up, headed to the trail and got onto the bike. We road for a leisurely 8.5 miles and then had a smoothie from the Y snack bar. As I was sitting there I realized the migraine I had tried to head of was coming on full force. However I was determined not to let it get me down. I changed into my suit and headed out to the pool.
I had every intention of swimming the entire workout. However, after about 4 laps I was getting dizzy. I kept going but soon I was unable to turn my head to breathe without getting nauseous. S*^#@! I really wanted to get this workout done. At 1000 yards I had to call it quits. Although Karen said my form looked much better I was just not able to swim anymore. I was out of the pool.
Sunday morning the alarm went off at 5am. I had been up all night throwing up. I sent a text to Missey and Karen and crawled into the bed. My head felt like someone was stabbing me repeatedly with a hot poker! There was no way I could drive to the trail, much less ride and run. I could barely move.
Can you say frustrated? I know my body was telling me something, not quite sure what it was other than this was not my weekend. I ended up spending pretty much all day Sunday in the bed. I woke up this morning feeling some better. My head is numb but there is a dull ache where I felt the poker jabbing me. I was going to try and swim but I think I will just do a run tonight and swim tomorrow. Obviously I am not 18 anymore. LOL....
This week's schedule:
Monday: Run 6-8 miles
Tuesday: Long Swim
Wednesday: Bike 2 hours, Run 30 mins
Thursday: Long Swim
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Bike Run Brick then drive to St. Pete.
Sunday: Cheer for Karen, Missey, Rick and Captain Ron as they compete in the 25th Annual St. Anthony's Triathlon. Of course it helps that the Ironman world champion, Chris "Macca" McCormick, is competing. I will consider this my recovery "run" since I will be all over the place trying to see everyone.
Hopefully this week I will be able to "light my match!"
XOXOX
Elizabeth
Friday, April 18, 2008
You Know You Are An Experienced Triathlete When....
You know you are an experienced triathlete when.....
1. You show up at packet pick-up 20 minutes before the race starts.
2. The race officials say there is no more room on the bike rack so you use a hole and a tree to rack your bike and set up your transition area.
3. The first thing you pull out of your tri bag to set up your transition area is the bra you took off when you put on your tri outfit.
Yes all of those things happened to me last night and NO they really don't make me a very experienced triathlete. However they do make for a good blog.
I am registered for the Lake Louisa Sprint Triathlon series. There are six events, one each month through September. I registered for them just for the transition practice which I need. These races are the low key no bells and whistles kind of race to use for training. There are not any race numbers, body marking is optional and the turn-around buoy in the lake is an alligator raft.
The race was scheduled to start at 6pm with packet pick-up opening at 5pm. I left work around 4:15, picked up the kids and was off. One of my co-workers who I am training for a half marathon, Richard was going with me to do his first tri. Here is where the hysteria started.
Richard put his bike on my bike rack. Being the naive trusting person I am, I did not make sure that he strapped it on correctly. So no sooner than I have gotten on the expressway than I noticed in the rear view mirror that his bike was hanging on by one strap only and appeared ready to take flight. I quickly pulled over on the side of the expressway and Richard adjusted the bike this time making sure the straps were tight. On the road again.....
We reach Clermont at about 5pm. Good time considering traffic was heavy. The girls were in the back talking about being hungry but I figured if I ignored them they would forget about everything when we got to the tri....What was I thinking. After passing a couple of fast food restaurants and gas stations, Richard said "Are you going to get the girls some food?" I was like no , I was planning on letting them wait. After all I knew I would be done with the race in under an hour and figured I would stop then to feed them. Well Richard had to potty so I agreed to stop. Of course the girls had to get out as well. So I went through the drive through, grabbed some happy meals and pulled around to wait. Much to my surprise the girls were out of the bathroom and into the car before Richard. Hmm does someone have a nervouse stomach? LOL
Richard came out eventually, on the road again.....
We arrived and parked at 5:35. We still had to pick up our packets, rack our bikes, set out transition gear and make it to the beach before the race start. I got out of the car and immediately went to packet pick-up. I am in race mode now. No time for dilly-dallying. Richard's wife met us out there so he went over to her for a chat. I quick grabbed my packet, ran back to the car telling Richard we had to hurry up. Thank goodness I had the forethought to change into my tri outfit before I drove over to Clermont.
I grabbed my transition bag out of the truck, my helmet and bike and was ready to head to the bike transition to rack my bike. Meanwhile, Richard was filling his bike bottles......Again this is his first race and I am in race mode so I have to be honest and say I should have been nicer and more helpful but I was worried about not making the swim start.
I get Richard and his gear to follow me, we head into transition. The race official says there is no more room on the racks for bikes just park your bike on the side. Well that would be all well and good but I don't have a kickstand. So I found a tree with a border around it and leaned my bike on that. I laid down my mat opened the bag and grabbed my bra. Lord knows what I was planning to do with that. I turned beet red and then quick stuffed it back into the bag. Took out my bike gear, running gear, grabbed the kids and said "Let's get to the beach." Guess what, Richard was not ready. Poor guy. Next time I need to give him more than 15mins time for sure. At least Tina, his wife was there to help him. We finished getting him setup and ran over to the beach just in time to see the professionals start. Next went the men, Richard was off. I had another minute to wait before my start so I looked out at the first couple of waves. To my surprise, they were running through the water. The lake was only ankle deep no way to swim. OH NO! I am supposed to get out of the water with fresh legs.
Now I am off. The water was remarkable warm or so I thought. Since it was only ankle deep at this point the sun had warmed it up. As we closed in on the alligator raft, the water was about knee level and now it was freezing. I got completely in the water and tried to swim but my hands were hitting the sand at the bottom of the lake and people were running around me. I stood up and decided to run the rest of the way in.
Out of the water, across the beach, up the boardwalk and down the road to the bike transition. Quick looked over to see Richard putting on his helmet and heading out onto the bike course. I put on my helmet, bike shoes, gloves and off I went. Out of the transition onto the bike course, mounted the bike. Clipped my left foot into the pedal and pushed down on the right foot. No go. The right shoe would not clip in. Wow the night is getting better! I just started hammering away on the bike obviously with my left leg doing most of the work but I did not want to quit.
The bike course was full of rolling hills. Now those of you who know me know I am terrified of hills and have never completed a workout or race that had hill on the bike without walking some part of it either because I could not change to a low enough gear or because the bike slowed to a stop and I had to walk. WELL TONIGHT WAS MY NIGHT!! I made up all the hills and even passed people as well. Of course a couple of people passed me but nothing like before.
As I was on the return leg of the bike I caught up to and passed Richard. As I was going by I said "You aren't going to let me beat you are you?" :-) Of course I was just giving him a hard time. I headed back into transition and racked my bike. Bike shoes switched to run shoes and off on the run. Can you just say screaming left quad and hamstring. Normally my legs are a bit wobbly and I need to adjust from the bike to the run but this was bad. My left leg was screaming stop and my right leg was like WOW I get to do something. It took me until the halfway point to be able to synchronize my legs. I turned around and headed back.
As I was heading back, I passed Richard on his way out. "Did you not pick the cone up and bring it back with you?" He asks. I just laughed, grabbed his water bottle took and swig and said get moving. I turned and completed my run.
I forgot to turn my watch off of course but I know I was 3 minutes ahead of the clock so the distance took me about 54 minutes! Yeah! Richard came across the line in 1:01. Awesome job!
I so cannot wait until my next event! Doing a long swim and a long, hilly bike this weekend! Wish me luck!
XOXOX,
Elizabeth
1. You show up at packet pick-up 20 minutes before the race starts.
2. The race officials say there is no more room on the bike rack so you use a hole and a tree to rack your bike and set up your transition area.
3. The first thing you pull out of your tri bag to set up your transition area is the bra you took off when you put on your tri outfit.
Yes all of those things happened to me last night and NO they really don't make me a very experienced triathlete. However they do make for a good blog.
I am registered for the Lake Louisa Sprint Triathlon series. There are six events, one each month through September. I registered for them just for the transition practice which I need. These races are the low key no bells and whistles kind of race to use for training. There are not any race numbers, body marking is optional and the turn-around buoy in the lake is an alligator raft.
The race was scheduled to start at 6pm with packet pick-up opening at 5pm. I left work around 4:15, picked up the kids and was off. One of my co-workers who I am training for a half marathon, Richard was going with me to do his first tri. Here is where the hysteria started.
Richard put his bike on my bike rack. Being the naive trusting person I am, I did not make sure that he strapped it on correctly. So no sooner than I have gotten on the expressway than I noticed in the rear view mirror that his bike was hanging on by one strap only and appeared ready to take flight. I quickly pulled over on the side of the expressway and Richard adjusted the bike this time making sure the straps were tight. On the road again.....
We reach Clermont at about 5pm. Good time considering traffic was heavy. The girls were in the back talking about being hungry but I figured if I ignored them they would forget about everything when we got to the tri....What was I thinking. After passing a couple of fast food restaurants and gas stations, Richard said "Are you going to get the girls some food?" I was like no , I was planning on letting them wait. After all I knew I would be done with the race in under an hour and figured I would stop then to feed them. Well Richard had to potty so I agreed to stop. Of course the girls had to get out as well. So I went through the drive through, grabbed some happy meals and pulled around to wait. Much to my surprise the girls were out of the bathroom and into the car before Richard. Hmm does someone have a nervouse stomach? LOL
Richard came out eventually, on the road again.....
We arrived and parked at 5:35. We still had to pick up our packets, rack our bikes, set out transition gear and make it to the beach before the race start. I got out of the car and immediately went to packet pick-up. I am in race mode now. No time for dilly-dallying. Richard's wife met us out there so he went over to her for a chat. I quick grabbed my packet, ran back to the car telling Richard we had to hurry up. Thank goodness I had the forethought to change into my tri outfit before I drove over to Clermont.
I grabbed my transition bag out of the truck, my helmet and bike and was ready to head to the bike transition to rack my bike. Meanwhile, Richard was filling his bike bottles......Again this is his first race and I am in race mode so I have to be honest and say I should have been nicer and more helpful but I was worried about not making the swim start.
I get Richard and his gear to follow me, we head into transition. The race official says there is no more room on the racks for bikes just park your bike on the side. Well that would be all well and good but I don't have a kickstand. So I found a tree with a border around it and leaned my bike on that. I laid down my mat opened the bag and grabbed my bra. Lord knows what I was planning to do with that. I turned beet red and then quick stuffed it back into the bag. Took out my bike gear, running gear, grabbed the kids and said "Let's get to the beach." Guess what, Richard was not ready. Poor guy. Next time I need to give him more than 15mins time for sure. At least Tina, his wife was there to help him. We finished getting him setup and ran over to the beach just in time to see the professionals start. Next went the men, Richard was off. I had another minute to wait before my start so I looked out at the first couple of waves. To my surprise, they were running through the water. The lake was only ankle deep no way to swim. OH NO! I am supposed to get out of the water with fresh legs.
Now I am off. The water was remarkable warm or so I thought. Since it was only ankle deep at this point the sun had warmed it up. As we closed in on the alligator raft, the water was about knee level and now it was freezing. I got completely in the water and tried to swim but my hands were hitting the sand at the bottom of the lake and people were running around me. I stood up and decided to run the rest of the way in.
Out of the water, across the beach, up the boardwalk and down the road to the bike transition. Quick looked over to see Richard putting on his helmet and heading out onto the bike course. I put on my helmet, bike shoes, gloves and off I went. Out of the transition onto the bike course, mounted the bike. Clipped my left foot into the pedal and pushed down on the right foot. No go. The right shoe would not clip in. Wow the night is getting better! I just started hammering away on the bike obviously with my left leg doing most of the work but I did not want to quit.
The bike course was full of rolling hills. Now those of you who know me know I am terrified of hills and have never completed a workout or race that had hill on the bike without walking some part of it either because I could not change to a low enough gear or because the bike slowed to a stop and I had to walk. WELL TONIGHT WAS MY NIGHT!! I made up all the hills and even passed people as well. Of course a couple of people passed me but nothing like before.
As I was on the return leg of the bike I caught up to and passed Richard. As I was going by I said "You aren't going to let me beat you are you?" :-) Of course I was just giving him a hard time. I headed back into transition and racked my bike. Bike shoes switched to run shoes and off on the run. Can you just say screaming left quad and hamstring. Normally my legs are a bit wobbly and I need to adjust from the bike to the run but this was bad. My left leg was screaming stop and my right leg was like WOW I get to do something. It took me until the halfway point to be able to synchronize my legs. I turned around and headed back.
As I was heading back, I passed Richard on his way out. "Did you not pick the cone up and bring it back with you?" He asks. I just laughed, grabbed his water bottle took and swig and said get moving. I turned and completed my run.
I forgot to turn my watch off of course but I know I was 3 minutes ahead of the clock so the distance took me about 54 minutes! Yeah! Richard came across the line in 1:01. Awesome job!
I so cannot wait until my next event! Doing a long swim and a long, hilly bike this weekend! Wish me luck!
XOXOX,
Elizabeth
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Swim, Swim, Swim
The more I swim the more I like swimming. Of course the more I swim the more I need to swim. On Tuesday I completed a workout totally 2700 yards. It was only supposed to be 2600 but this time I added wrong. I was totally tired when I finished but the feeling was a good tired not a bad tired.
I like swimming which shocks me to say. Of course I am not really sure how my form is doing and I know I need to swim faster to have a decent time in the IMFL but I am trying. Which is much more than I can say about the bike.
I AM TERRIFIED! I can run all day and not worry about getting hit by a car or falling or anything else. As soon as I get on the bike and get clipped in I start panicking. What a lovely feeling - trying to muscle through miles on the bike and feeling like I am going to have a heart attack the whole time. I have read all of these articles about becoming one with the bike. How the heck to I become one with the bike.
I have purchased and installed clip on aerobars. These are so that I can get in a better more aerodynamic position on the bike which will help me conserve energy and go faster. HAHAHA that is laughable. The aerobars don't have gears or brakes. So for a person that likes to be in control this is even less control than before.
I know, I know sometimes one cannot always be in control and just have to go with it. But the thought of "going with it" over the top of someone else or crashing again while clipped in just does not thrill me. However schedule an hour run or a 2600 yard swim and I am totally excited.
Speaking of running, I met Missey on Monday night at the Downtown Y for a short hour run. I was so happy just going out that night. It was cool for Orlando, I would say mid 60's and perfect just to run and run. I think I could have run for hours that night. I love running in cool weather for some reason I just zone out and run in a way that to me seems effortless.
Of course I am sure that what I look like in reality is not so pretty.
Well off to my super-sprint tri
XOXOX
Elizabeth
I like swimming which shocks me to say. Of course I am not really sure how my form is doing and I know I need to swim faster to have a decent time in the IMFL but I am trying. Which is much more than I can say about the bike.
I AM TERRIFIED! I can run all day and not worry about getting hit by a car or falling or anything else. As soon as I get on the bike and get clipped in I start panicking. What a lovely feeling - trying to muscle through miles on the bike and feeling like I am going to have a heart attack the whole time. I have read all of these articles about becoming one with the bike. How the heck to I become one with the bike.
I have purchased and installed clip on aerobars. These are so that I can get in a better more aerodynamic position on the bike which will help me conserve energy and go faster. HAHAHA that is laughable. The aerobars don't have gears or brakes. So for a person that likes to be in control this is even less control than before.
I know, I know sometimes one cannot always be in control and just have to go with it. But the thought of "going with it" over the top of someone else or crashing again while clipped in just does not thrill me. However schedule an hour run or a 2600 yard swim and I am totally excited.
Speaking of running, I met Missey on Monday night at the Downtown Y for a short hour run. I was so happy just going out that night. It was cool for Orlando, I would say mid 60's and perfect just to run and run. I think I could have run for hours that night. I love running in cool weather for some reason I just zone out and run in a way that to me seems effortless.
Of course I am sure that what I look like in reality is not so pretty.
Well off to my super-sprint tri
XOXOX
Elizabeth
Monday, April 14, 2008
Half Iron Distance? Required or Not?
As the days pass I and I get closer to the IMFL, I am wondering more and more which half iron distance race that I should do. I really want my first to be an IRON branded race which really limits my choices. Another limiting factor is that many of the Ironman 70.3 races here in the United States are sold out.
I have completed a Super-Sprint distance and a sprint distance triathlon. I have two olympic distance races on my calendar but I have not yet picked a half iron distance. Well I did pick one, the IMFL 70.3 at Disney in May, but I procrastinated and did not register before the race sold out. I am a bit scared to jump from an OLY race to a Full Ironman.
Looking on the Ironman website, here are my choices:
Kansas 6/15/08
Buffalo Springs Lake, Texas 6/29/08
Lake Stevens, Washington 07/06/08
Rhode Island 07/13/08
Vineman, California 07/20/08
Steelhead, Benton Harbor Michigan 08/02/08
I am a bit limited that I need to complete the race this summer as the kids will be with their father so that helps with logistics. Vineman is BRUTAL and definitely not one I would want to do for my first 70.3. Any opinions will help. I am thinking that Rhode Island is the one to do. The weather should not be too bad and it is only 1 hour from Boston so I can have a bit of fun when I am done. That is if I can still walk. HAHA!
Well back to work!
XOXOX
Elizabeth
I have completed a Super-Sprint distance and a sprint distance triathlon. I have two olympic distance races on my calendar but I have not yet picked a half iron distance. Well I did pick one, the IMFL 70.3 at Disney in May, but I procrastinated and did not register before the race sold out. I am a bit scared to jump from an OLY race to a Full Ironman.
Looking on the Ironman website, here are my choices:
Kansas 6/15/08
Buffalo Springs Lake, Texas 6/29/08
Lake Stevens, Washington 07/06/08
Rhode Island 07/13/08
Vineman, California 07/20/08
Steelhead, Benton Harbor Michigan 08/02/08
I am a bit limited that I need to complete the race this summer as the kids will be with their father so that helps with logistics. Vineman is BRUTAL and definitely not one I would want to do for my first 70.3. Any opinions will help. I am thinking that Rhode Island is the one to do. The weather should not be too bad and it is only 1 hour from Boston so I can have a bit of fun when I am done. That is if I can still walk. HAHA!
Well back to work!
XOXOX
Elizabeth
Happy Monday!
I hope that everyone had a great weekend! Mine was pretty good. I got in a great training session on Saturday with Karen. Sunday was a wash. I cleaned my house all day (I am still not finished) so that was a workout in itself.
Which leads me to my question of the day. Can anyone do it all? Lately it has become more apparent to me that there is no way I can do everything and train for the Ironman, something has to give. So of course the easiest thing is housework. I mean I hate cleaning the house anyways so now I have an excuse, actually several excuses.
1. I have to train.
2. I just got done training and I need food/shower/nap.
3. Kelsie and Hannah need help with homework, need to go somewhere.
4. The dog needs to be walked and the animals fed.
So on and So on. But you get the idea. I can always find a reason not to clean the house. Training for the Ironman just makes it easier to justify the mess. Finally this weekend I could not stand it it anymore and on Sunday I decided to clean. Oh my goodness. I cleaned all day and still did not make it in the door of my bedroom or to my bathroom. I actually was up until 3am doing laundry. Is there anything more hysterical. I am more tired this morning than I was after Saturday's BRICK workout.
XOXOX
Elizabeth
Which leads me to my question of the day. Can anyone do it all? Lately it has become more apparent to me that there is no way I can do everything and train for the Ironman, something has to give. So of course the easiest thing is housework. I mean I hate cleaning the house anyways so now I have an excuse, actually several excuses.
1. I have to train.
2. I just got done training and I need food/shower/nap.
3. Kelsie and Hannah need help with homework, need to go somewhere.
4. The dog needs to be walked and the animals fed.
So on and So on. But you get the idea. I can always find a reason not to clean the house. Training for the Ironman just makes it easier to justify the mess. Finally this weekend I could not stand it it anymore and on Sunday I decided to clean. Oh my goodness. I cleaned all day and still did not make it in the door of my bedroom or to my bathroom. I actually was up until 3am doing laundry. Is there anything more hysterical. I am more tired this morning than I was after Saturday's BRICK workout.
XOXOX
Elizabeth
Friday, April 11, 2008
I Think I Like Swimming
Happy Friday!
I had an epiphany last night while I was completing my swim workout. I actually like swimming! WOW that is hard to admit, especially to all of my hardcore running friends. I am a runner and probably to most people I would even be considered a die-hard runner. I have been running since I was twelve. My first 50 yard dash during field day and I was addicted. I ran track and cross-country all though middle school, high school and college. Any time I have had an injury and been unable to run I have been devastated.
At any rate many, many miles and many marathons later, as you all know I have decided to do a triathlon and not just any triathlon, the Ironman. The swim has always terrified me. I am in awe of anyone that can swim correctly using the right stroke moving through the pool effortlessly. It is beautiful to watch. I had quite a rough day yesterday and as I was driving to the pool, I realized how excited I was to go swim. I really wanted to get in the pool and pound out the yards. Like I said before it was an epiphany. Swimming still is not effortless for me but I do enjoy the challenge now.
My workout last night was awesome.
300 yard warm-up
8 x 50 arm paddles
8 x 50 kicks
4 x 100 tempo
4 x 50 sprint
4 x 50 arm paddles
4 x 50 kicks
2 x 100 tempo
2 x 50 sprint
200 yard cool-down
2600 yards later and boy was I tired. My arms were bricks and I was starving but the funny thing was that my legs were ok. I probably could have gone and run a couple of miles but it was late and I needed to get the kids home and into bed.
This weekend I need to get on the bike and get a good long ride in the saddle. I am thinking I will bike 30-40 miles tomorrow and then do a run. This is called a brick workout. Then on Sunday another run of 4-6 miles as well. Those two workouts should leave me good and worn-out. Of course I need to fit in a swim. I was hoping to go to Lucky's Lake but I have the girls with me. We shall see.
Until next time!
XOXOXOX
Elizabeth
I had an epiphany last night while I was completing my swim workout. I actually like swimming! WOW that is hard to admit, especially to all of my hardcore running friends. I am a runner and probably to most people I would even be considered a die-hard runner. I have been running since I was twelve. My first 50 yard dash during field day and I was addicted. I ran track and cross-country all though middle school, high school and college. Any time I have had an injury and been unable to run I have been devastated.
At any rate many, many miles and many marathons later, as you all know I have decided to do a triathlon and not just any triathlon, the Ironman. The swim has always terrified me. I am in awe of anyone that can swim correctly using the right stroke moving through the pool effortlessly. It is beautiful to watch. I had quite a rough day yesterday and as I was driving to the pool, I realized how excited I was to go swim. I really wanted to get in the pool and pound out the yards. Like I said before it was an epiphany. Swimming still is not effortless for me but I do enjoy the challenge now.
My workout last night was awesome.
300 yard warm-up
8 x 50 arm paddles
8 x 50 kicks
4 x 100 tempo
4 x 50 sprint
4 x 50 arm paddles
4 x 50 kicks
2 x 100 tempo
2 x 50 sprint
200 yard cool-down
2600 yards later and boy was I tired. My arms were bricks and I was starving but the funny thing was that my legs were ok. I probably could have gone and run a couple of miles but it was late and I needed to get the kids home and into bed.
This weekend I need to get on the bike and get a good long ride in the saddle. I am thinking I will bike 30-40 miles tomorrow and then do a run. This is called a brick workout. Then on Sunday another run of 4-6 miles as well. Those two workouts should leave me good and worn-out. Of course I need to fit in a swim. I was hoping to go to Lucky's Lake but I have the girls with me. We shall see.
Until next time!
XOXOXOX
Elizabeth
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Tri #2 Done
Well I went out and completed another triathlon. This was the super-sprint triathlon which was part of the 25th Annual Great Clermont Triathlon weekend. Remember, right now I am not completing these events to try and win or even be competitive. I am just completing these events for the experience. I have to say that I was not any less nervous this weekend than I was for my previous race. I think I might have actually been more nervous! I am not really sure why. All I know is that when the announcer asked my name, I said that I was "Beth from Orlando and I think I am going to puke."
Maybe I should back up and start from the beginning. I have been able to get in some really awesome swim training. The bike training has not been too bad however I have had 3 flat tires in two weeks. I have really not been able to find the time to run. So last week, the kids were at their dad's for spring break, I thought I would be able to get in a really hard week of training. Well that did not happen. First, I had a bike flat only two miles into a long bike ride, then I had way to much "happy" in my happy hour. So by Friday night I was seriously scared of what Saturday morning would hold.
I spent the night over at Missey's house to save time in the morning. It was pouring the rain and all I could think was that I could not ride my bike in the rain as I would crash. Yes boys and girls I am terrified to crash. We went to bed at 11pm in order to wake up at 5am. I tossed and turned all night. For those of you that know me well, you already know I don't sleep much the night before the event. Missey woke me up shortly after 5am. Not that I was really asleep but I was trying really hard to pretend I was or at least convince my brain I was alseep. I got up and got dressed. We had packed our transition bags the night before. We loaded the bikes on the bike racks and headed out, of course stopping at the closest 7-eleven for Missey to get a Diet Coke.
At this point my stomach was burning. I needed to eat my breakfast but I knew that anything I swallowed would come right back up. So I let the cliff bar lay in my lap as I tried to come up with a great reason not to complete the event. We made it out to Lake Minneola by 6am. There were very few people there at this point. We checked in, grabbed our gear bags and went to body marking. After getting my age and race number written in permanent marker all over my arms and legs, I went to rack my bike and set out my transition area. So far so good. My stomach is still burning but I have not puked yet so maybe just maybe I can make it through this.
For those of you that don't know, a super sprint tri is much shorter than the distance I completed at my first tri in Moss Park. The swim is only 200 yards, the bike just over 8 miles and finally a short 2 mile run up to the finish. I have no idea why I was so worried, well maybe I do. A week of crappy training and day two of a major tequila hangover. ( No wonder I was green.)
After getting all setup in the transition area, we walked over to the beach to check the water temperature. It was much warmer than I expected! Yeah! I won't be gasping for air. The announcements started and we began lining up. This race start was a bit different as it was going to be a time trial start. All of the tri starts I have seen were either mass starts or wave starts. This one was an individual start where they announce your name and where you are from as you enter the water. For some reason, Missey thought we needed to be close to the front. So one after another the racers enter the water and then it is my turn. The announcer turns to me and asks my name, I reply "Beth from Orlando and I think I am going to puke." This made him smile and much to my chagrin and embarrassment he says into the microphone, "This is Beth from Orlando and she says she is going to Puke! Everyone behind her watch out!" I quick glanced over my shoulder and saw every expression from disgust to amusement on the triathletes faces.
Damn it was time to getting going. I ran out into the water (it was very shallow) to the point I could start swimming and started doing my somewhat awkward version of the freestyle. Believe it or not I was actually passing people! I was thinking to myself WOW - this is awesome! Hahahahaha! Little did I know.
I finished the swim, ran out of the water and over into bike transition. I quick wiped off my feet and put on my helmet and bike shoes, grabbed the bike and I was off. Well maybe it was not that fast. More like I spent over 4 minutes in the bike transition and then I was off. I got to the pavement and mounted my bike. WOW - the bike course starts on a steep uphill. I pedaled as hard as I could and just kept going. I really thought I was doing great until Missey passed me on the bike course like I was in a parking place. DAMN! Was I even moving?????
I pedaled and pedaled. The bike course was full of rolling hills. My quads were screaming! My hands were numb from pushing down on the handlebars. Again comes the thought - what was I thinking! But I kept moving. I got to the last hill before the run transition. I could see the end of the bike course. Now if I could just get to the top of the hill. I am trying as hard as I can to get to the top. My bike is just slowing and slowing down. One after another racers are passing me on the hill. A man on a mountain bike with aerobars passed me just as my bike was slowing to a complete stop. Luckily for me I was only 5 feet from the top of the hill and I was able to unclip before the bike fell over. I ran my bike up the last 5 feet and jumped back on. Ok maybe I slowly climbed back on but you get the point.
I bike into the run transition, racked my bike and changed my shoes, grabbed my cap and started off on the run. About 100 yards into the run, it suddenly hit me that I was STARVING and that I had never eaten breakfast. Well that explains why I just gave out at the end of the bike and why my legs were shaking so much. Time to reach deep and get whatever resources I can to make it through the run. Good thing I was not doing this race for time. I know better than to try and complete any event without adequate nutrition. I am running along and suddenly I see Missey ahead of me. She completes the turnaround at mile 1 and heads back in my direction, cheering for me. I suck it up and keep going. At this point I have terrible cramps. Hmm wonder why - let's see no food maybe. I guess the old saying is true, "Everyone has to learn the hard way." Thank goodness this was not the Ironman. I guess that is the point of completing these shorter distance races so that one can get the kinks worked out.
I caught up with Missey and ran a bit with her and then went on. She is recovering from a knee injury and I did not want to hamper her recovery by running with her. We have very different stride lengths. So after making sure she was ok I ran on. And yes I owed her one for passing me on the bike. LOL! Just kidding Missey!
Low and behold the finish line is in sight! I cross the finish line! Yeah! I did it! Believe it or not I am completely stoked and now I think possibly addicted! I cannot wait to "tri" it again! Tonight I am off to the pool for a long swim and possibly a run.
So anyone want to "tri a threesome?"
XOXOXOX
Elizabeth
Maybe I should back up and start from the beginning. I have been able to get in some really awesome swim training. The bike training has not been too bad however I have had 3 flat tires in two weeks. I have really not been able to find the time to run. So last week, the kids were at their dad's for spring break, I thought I would be able to get in a really hard week of training. Well that did not happen. First, I had a bike flat only two miles into a long bike ride, then I had way to much "happy" in my happy hour. So by Friday night I was seriously scared of what Saturday morning would hold.
I spent the night over at Missey's house to save time in the morning. It was pouring the rain and all I could think was that I could not ride my bike in the rain as I would crash. Yes boys and girls I am terrified to crash. We went to bed at 11pm in order to wake up at 5am. I tossed and turned all night. For those of you that know me well, you already know I don't sleep much the night before the event. Missey woke me up shortly after 5am. Not that I was really asleep but I was trying really hard to pretend I was or at least convince my brain I was alseep. I got up and got dressed. We had packed our transition bags the night before. We loaded the bikes on the bike racks and headed out, of course stopping at the closest 7-eleven for Missey to get a Diet Coke.
At this point my stomach was burning. I needed to eat my breakfast but I knew that anything I swallowed would come right back up. So I let the cliff bar lay in my lap as I tried to come up with a great reason not to complete the event. We made it out to Lake Minneola by 6am. There were very few people there at this point. We checked in, grabbed our gear bags and went to body marking. After getting my age and race number written in permanent marker all over my arms and legs, I went to rack my bike and set out my transition area. So far so good. My stomach is still burning but I have not puked yet so maybe just maybe I can make it through this.
For those of you that don't know, a super sprint tri is much shorter than the distance I completed at my first tri in Moss Park. The swim is only 200 yards, the bike just over 8 miles and finally a short 2 mile run up to the finish. I have no idea why I was so worried, well maybe I do. A week of crappy training and day two of a major tequila hangover. ( No wonder I was green.)
After getting all setup in the transition area, we walked over to the beach to check the water temperature. It was much warmer than I expected! Yeah! I won't be gasping for air. The announcements started and we began lining up. This race start was a bit different as it was going to be a time trial start. All of the tri starts I have seen were either mass starts or wave starts. This one was an individual start where they announce your name and where you are from as you enter the water. For some reason, Missey thought we needed to be close to the front. So one after another the racers enter the water and then it is my turn. The announcer turns to me and asks my name, I reply "Beth from Orlando and I think I am going to puke." This made him smile and much to my chagrin and embarrassment he says into the microphone, "This is Beth from Orlando and she says she is going to Puke! Everyone behind her watch out!" I quick glanced over my shoulder and saw every expression from disgust to amusement on the triathletes faces.
Damn it was time to getting going. I ran out into the water (it was very shallow) to the point I could start swimming and started doing my somewhat awkward version of the freestyle. Believe it or not I was actually passing people! I was thinking to myself WOW - this is awesome! Hahahahaha! Little did I know.
I finished the swim, ran out of the water and over into bike transition. I quick wiped off my feet and put on my helmet and bike shoes, grabbed the bike and I was off. Well maybe it was not that fast. More like I spent over 4 minutes in the bike transition and then I was off. I got to the pavement and mounted my bike. WOW - the bike course starts on a steep uphill. I pedaled as hard as I could and just kept going. I really thought I was doing great until Missey passed me on the bike course like I was in a parking place. DAMN! Was I even moving?????
I pedaled and pedaled. The bike course was full of rolling hills. My quads were screaming! My hands were numb from pushing down on the handlebars. Again comes the thought - what was I thinking! But I kept moving. I got to the last hill before the run transition. I could see the end of the bike course. Now if I could just get to the top of the hill. I am trying as hard as I can to get to the top. My bike is just slowing and slowing down. One after another racers are passing me on the hill. A man on a mountain bike with aerobars passed me just as my bike was slowing to a complete stop. Luckily for me I was only 5 feet from the top of the hill and I was able to unclip before the bike fell over. I ran my bike up the last 5 feet and jumped back on. Ok maybe I slowly climbed back on but you get the point.
I bike into the run transition, racked my bike and changed my shoes, grabbed my cap and started off on the run. About 100 yards into the run, it suddenly hit me that I was STARVING and that I had never eaten breakfast. Well that explains why I just gave out at the end of the bike and why my legs were shaking so much. Time to reach deep and get whatever resources I can to make it through the run. Good thing I was not doing this race for time. I know better than to try and complete any event without adequate nutrition. I am running along and suddenly I see Missey ahead of me. She completes the turnaround at mile 1 and heads back in my direction, cheering for me. I suck it up and keep going. At this point I have terrible cramps. Hmm wonder why - let's see no food maybe. I guess the old saying is true, "Everyone has to learn the hard way." Thank goodness this was not the Ironman. I guess that is the point of completing these shorter distance races so that one can get the kinks worked out.
I caught up with Missey and ran a bit with her and then went on. She is recovering from a knee injury and I did not want to hamper her recovery by running with her. We have very different stride lengths. So after making sure she was ok I ran on. And yes I owed her one for passing me on the bike. LOL! Just kidding Missey!
Low and behold the finish line is in sight! I cross the finish line! Yeah! I did it! Believe it or not I am completely stoked and now I think possibly addicted! I cannot wait to "tri" it again! Tonight I am off to the pool for a long swim and possibly a run.
So anyone want to "tri a threesome?"
XOXOXOX
Elizabeth
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