It's quite difficult for me to pass up a good deal. I love all the new daily deal websites - Groupon, LivingSocial, Schwaggle, etc. So when I got the email on Thursday, 7/7 offering a 50% discount for the San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island Sprint that Sunday, I had to look. After realizing what I had gotten myself into for Golden Gate, I kept wishing I had signed up for Treasure Island instead. It was a sheltered swim and a pancake flat course for the bike and run. It would have been ideal for my first race after my knee injury (though now that it's done, I'm very happy I took on the challenge of the Golden Gate course). While it wasn't in my race schedule, the thought of getting another race under my belt at such a good price was tempting. I knew I could do it, and I thought I could even do pretty well, so after a few minutes of debate, I purchased my bib.
One of the best things about signing up for a race 3 days before it happens is that I cut at least a week out of my freak out stage. I went and picked up my race packet later that day, got a few final supplies, and felt really ready. On Friday, I was getting a little nervous. I had already planned a wine tasting trip to Napa for that Saturday, which would potentially pose a problem. I went, and had a great time, but really monitored my drinking and kept it to a minimum (which was sad because the pours were generous). Saturday night was the only stressful time. I'm pretty sure I should spend the night before a race at a hotel so as no to use my boyfriend as an outlet...
Matthew had to work on Sunday and I didn't expect him to get the day off to watch me race since I signed up 3 days beforehand. His mom, Alison, however, volunteered to come along as my support. I didn't think I needed it, but I was so happy she was there. Packed and ready, we made our way to Treasure Island before sunrise. I had seen the course on my way across the Bay Bridge the day before, so I felt like i knew what I was getting myself into. I felt pretty comfortable setting up transition and getting ready. Races I had been to before usually wanted to have everyone set up and out of transition when the race started, which was about 40 minutes before my wave start. I later found this was not the case, and wish I had known that.
Standing in the early morning chill, my wetsuit did little to keep me from shivering after 10 minutes or so. And I can now say I officially hate watching the waves before me go. I had never seen someone get pulled out of the water at a race before. I swear they pulled at least two people out of the water in each wave before me. I was shocked. Suddenly, this short, sheltered swim was creating a feeling of dread in my stomach. Watching the first wave, there were two swimmers being left behind. I realized the parents of one, a 12-year old named Tom, were standing next to me. This was his first triathlon, and he was not a good swimmer. Slow and somewhat awkward, Tom continued to swim as the wave behind him began to overtake and pass him. When the support crew pulled the other boy out of the water and brought him in, I heard his mother say, "He's not going to give up. He's too stubborn to stop." And she was right. As Tom came around the second buoy and turned toward shore, we gave up all concern of him finishing and began cheering him on. The pace of his bobbing breast stroke never picked up, there was no rush to finish a little faster. His goal was just to get the shore, get out of the water, and get on his bike. And he did.
With the distraction of Tom now gone, the cold began creeping into my bones. My feet were starting to go a little numb, and I was honestly looking forward to getting in to the water in hopes of warming up and getting my blood moving. This was my first deep water start, and I was having a hard time figuring out what my best start position would be. I generally hang by the back and let the other women hit the water first before choosing my line. Starting in the water, it seemed there wasn't really a way to avoid getting caught up in the pack. I never felt completely comfortable on this swim. I was struggling with my stroke and was having a hard time getting good breaths, so I was breathing almost every stroke. I had a swim buddy, which is definitely a moral booster when you think your doing poorly. I finally hit the stairs and was thrilled to be getting out of the water and onto my bike.
The course was very flat with a lot of turns, and not the best road conditions. But is was a 3-lap course, which I learned I really liked. Lap 1, get moving and see what the course has to offer. Lap 2, drop the hammer. Push it hard and make up some time. Lap 3, keep it up. My run is so bad, the last thing I'm worrying about on the bike is saving my legs. I need to get as far ahead as possible. We had a good amount of wind, but I still felt pretty good coming off the bike (later learned I finished 2nd in my age group on the bike - hell yea!).
The run was, well, the run. I felt great as I cross the line, though I got passed by 2 people in the chute. It's hard to feel so good on the bike and pass over half the field, just to watch them fly by me on the run course. But I tried, and I learned. And it was over. And a quick calculation from the finishing clock had me finishing almost 10 minutes ahead of my last flat sprint course in Santa Cruz. Feeling pretty great, we packed up and headed home. Which is where my post-race high ended. Though there were some struggles, I felt pretty good about my race. I even felt like I had been pretty competitive (a term I would never have used about me and triathlons before that day, my goal had always been to just finish). Then I looked up my results online...
I'm used to coming out right near the middle of the pack (hoping for a little above the middle). My results had me in at 14th out of 22 in my age group. Not bad, but it was my swim time that had me reeling. My last swim along Chrissy field (no shelter, a lot of strong currents and twice the distance) had taken me only a minute longer than this swim. How was that possible? I didn't feel great in the water, but not that bad. I never fell behind, I honestly thought I finished closer to the front. I just couldn't make sense of how I could have fallen apart that much. Where I thought I had set a PR by about 10 minutes, I had actually missed my old time by 13 seconds. I'm not going to lie, I was devastated. I tried to not let it get to me, but I just couldn't let it go.
The more I thought about it, the more it bugged me. After thinking through a few details that weren't adding up, I took a deep breath and emailed the timing company. It was hard to do, and I felt like a whining brat when I wrote the email. I just wanted to check and see if it was even possible there could have been an error. When they responded with a confirmation that my start time had been listed as the wave before mine, meaning both my swim and total time had an extra 10 minutes in them, the word relief cannot begin to describe how I felt. 10 minutes is HUGE. I moved up from 14th to 9th overall. I had done what I set out to do. I got another race under my belt. I felt like I really did fit in with this sport, and I set a new PR. And it was in that moment hat I realized my priorities had changed. I was no longer approaching these races from the perspective of "I just want to finish". I knew I could finish, now I wanted to finish well. Maybe not the best thing for me as I headed into August and towards my first Olympic distance in Folsom.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Registering for a race without research
It's very unlike me, to commit to something without first researching and knowing exactly what I'm getting into. It's not that I'm not spontaneous, I'd like to think I can be. But I'm generally a planner. I believe in fully knowing what you are getting yourself into so you can handle any situation (and have the opportunity to get the most out of what you are doing). Most of the time.
After I was injured at the end of last year and spent a few months all mopey on my couch, I was ready to commit to a race to get myself back in shape. We were working on planning out Matthew's season and thought an early warm-up race would be good for both of us. While looking through the list of races, I found the Golden Gate Triathlon on June 26. Both a Sprint (for me) and Olympic (for him) distance, local so no travel, and a run course out on the Golden Gate bridge - perfect! I signed up (and thought he did though just found out he forgot and registered 4 days ago) and we had our first race of the season on the calendar.
Jump back to August of last year. Matthew was very good at encouraging me to try a triathlon, and did a very good job by choosing the perfect beginner course. The swim was a struggle due to some strong currents that weekend, but the bike and run were basically flat and fast - my kind of race. Fast forward to 2 weeks ago. I was taking a riding clinic that just so happened to include the course for our upcoming race. Holy hill...it's a bit of a beast, but I thought, I can do this. Then I remembered that this was a looped course. We basically take off, hit a Cat 5 climb for about a mile, descend the other side for about a mile, turnaround and climb right back up with a 7% grade and descend back to where you started. Then you turn around and do that again 2 more times (5 more times for Matthew). Seriously??
I have been freaking out now for the last 2 weeks. I am not back in shape. I'm getting there, but my legs just aren't back yet. Add the crazy bike course to the climb up to the bridge on the run and I'm a goner. I will finish this race...I must finish this race. All thoughts of trying to finish within a goal time or even not finish last are completely gone. I don't care if I'm the last one across that finish line, I'm going to cross it. My only goal at this point is to not have to get off my bike at some point and push it up the hill. But if it comes to that, I will (sweet baby Jesus, please don't let it come to that...).
Race is in t-minus 21.5 hours and counting...
UPDATE:
The race went surprisingly well. The swim was great. Wasn't the easiest course but I felt really good the whole way (except when I overshot the second buoy and got stuck in a current for a few minutes, watching at least 5 people pass me). I tried to stay calm as I pedaled towards the hill on my bike. The first loop was hard, but not terrible. The second loop was actually a little easier, and the relief I felt after cresting the hill for the final time on lap 3 was immense. I walked most of the climb up to the bridge on the run, but I was OK with that. Didn't stop running once I got there. In the end, it was a very hard course, but I felt great.
Swim: 22:47.6 (Rank: 9)
Bike: 1:09:14.3 (Rank: 7)
Run: 39:18.9 (Rank: 22)
I'm Not a Runner, But I Tri :)
After I was injured at the end of last year and spent a few months all mopey on my couch, I was ready to commit to a race to get myself back in shape. We were working on planning out Matthew's season and thought an early warm-up race would be good for both of us. While looking through the list of races, I found the Golden Gate Triathlon on June 26. Both a Sprint (for me) and Olympic (for him) distance, local so no travel, and a run course out on the Golden Gate bridge - perfect! I signed up (and thought he did though just found out he forgot and registered 4 days ago) and we had our first race of the season on the calendar.
Jump back to August of last year. Matthew was very good at encouraging me to try a triathlon, and did a very good job by choosing the perfect beginner course. The swim was a struggle due to some strong currents that weekend, but the bike and run were basically flat and fast - my kind of race. Fast forward to 2 weeks ago. I was taking a riding clinic that just so happened to include the course for our upcoming race. Holy hill...it's a bit of a beast, but I thought, I can do this. Then I remembered that this was a looped course. We basically take off, hit a Cat 5 climb for about a mile, descend the other side for about a mile, turnaround and climb right back up with a 7% grade and descend back to where you started. Then you turn around and do that again 2 more times (5 more times for Matthew). Seriously??
I have been freaking out now for the last 2 weeks. I am not back in shape. I'm getting there, but my legs just aren't back yet. Add the crazy bike course to the climb up to the bridge on the run and I'm a goner. I will finish this race...I must finish this race. All thoughts of trying to finish within a goal time or even not finish last are completely gone. I don't care if I'm the last one across that finish line, I'm going to cross it. My only goal at this point is to not have to get off my bike at some point and push it up the hill. But if it comes to that, I will (sweet baby Jesus, please don't let it come to that...).
Race is in t-minus 21.5 hours and counting...
UPDATE:
The race went surprisingly well. The swim was great. Wasn't the easiest course but I felt really good the whole way (except when I overshot the second buoy and got stuck in a current for a few minutes, watching at least 5 people pass me). I tried to stay calm as I pedaled towards the hill on my bike. The first loop was hard, but not terrible. The second loop was actually a little easier, and the relief I felt after cresting the hill for the final time on lap 3 was immense. I walked most of the climb up to the bridge on the run, but I was OK with that. Didn't stop running once I got there. In the end, it was a very hard course, but I felt great.
Swim: 22:47.6 (Rank: 9)
Bike: 1:09:14.3 (Rank: 7)
Run: 39:18.9 (Rank: 22)
I'm Not a Runner, But I Tri :)
Thursday, June 16, 2011
A Triathlon
I was not an athlete as a child. I enjoyed being active, but sports were not something I excelled at (though not for lack of trying). I played soccer, basketball, made an attempt at track - I found myself lacking the talent or the ability to breath and run at the same time really kept me from accomplishing anything of note. I tried to be more active as I got older, and I found things I liked. Finally getting my asthma diagnosed a couple years ago certainly helped.
We'll start with swimming. I taught myself how to swim when I was a kid. My dad lived by the beach and I was in the water almost every day in the summer. My senior year in high school, I got it in my head that I wanted to be a lifeguard. I saw a posting on the school bulletin board and for some reason thought, that seems like a good idea. I still remember that swim test. I'm pretty sure we only had to swim 200m, with no time limit, and by the end I thought I was going to die - I had never actually tried to swim laps before that day. (Sidenote: Make sure you have an appropriate swimsuit for swimming laps - my sweet ass neon blue and green Body Glove one piece of at least 5 years of age wasn't really up for the challenge. On my last lap I realized that the front had enough drag to end up around my ribs with my breasts completely exposed. I was so focused on not drowning I hadn't noticed until the end, though I don't think my instructor minded much.) I eventually began swimming enough over the next few years that I was relatively competent at it, though I still had no training or technical skill.
Jump to my next athletic milestone - running my first mile. I was absolutely one of those kids in high school that failed this portion of the Presidential Fitness Test. I could barely make it 100m before I had to walk. So in college, I decided to get in shape. I actually found a Navy Seals training book and used it as my guide to improve my running, swimming and strength (cause that seemed like a good idea...). After weeks and weeks of building up, I finally ran a whole mile. I still remember that night. I was telling everyone I could think of. I was so excited I didn't even care that it was kind of embarrassing that I couldn't run a mile prior to that. I started jogging and could make it about 3 miles before wanting to die. I maintained that pace and distance for the next 9 years or so. There was a brilliant day one summer in Arkansas right after a cooling rain that I managed to knock out 5 miles, and that was never repeated.
On to the bike. I loved riding my bike as a kid. It brought such freedom. I loved the way it felt to fly down hills. I remember crashing, a lot, and it never really phasing me. There was one crash in particular that I think I will always have an extremely vivd memory of. I had a blue Huffy BMX bike. I was riding down the hill in front of our house as fast as I could go. This hill had speed bumps, the wide sloping kind that you could ramp off of if you had enough speed. And I did. Unfortunately, on this particular run, my shoelace had come untied. It somehow managed to wrap itself around the pedal as I was spinning my little heart out until I finally got to the end of the lace. My foot was effectively attached to the pedal, and with no more slack in the lace, I could not move my foot forward. As I approached the speed bump, my only options were to try and brake or just let it happen. I went with the latter. My foot was at such an awkward angle that there was no way I could manage the landing. I came off the bump and went down hard (or "ate shit" as the kids say). Yet somehow, this didn't phase me. I laid on the ground for a minute, mentally assessing myself to see if anything was broken. After coming to the conclusion that there were no serious injuries, I got up and immediately went home to get cleaned up before my Dad or Stepmom came home (it was a rather serious offense to get injured in our house, so as long as you didn't absolutely have to go to the hospital, you did everything in your power to hide what happened). And the next day I was back on my bike. Man I miss that. Having no fear as a child. Being able to wreck one day and have no thought of it the next. More on that later...
So this triathlon idea. I can't take credit for this. This was all Matthew. I met my boyfriend Matthew about 2 years ago. Oddly, I was not unfamiliar with the sport or lifestyle. When I lived in Arkansas, my friend John Williams was competing in Ironman races. I thought he was insane. I would see him training and think, why would you ever want to do that to yourself (what seems like a good idea to you will not always seem like a good idea to others). I also had a friend in San Francisco who did triathlons, so this world Matthew was living in was not completely foreign, I just had no interest. I had decided I wanted to get a bike, and Matthew helped me figure out what kind I liked and which one to buy. I was talking about trying to run a half marathon in the fall with some friends and asked him to put together a training plan for me. Oddly enough, a nice Sprint tri fit very well into this schedule (well played, Mc Fadden). And when he brought it up, I though, why not? It seemed like a good idea. And it was.
I completed my first Sprint triathlon in Santa Cruz on August 8, 2010. My primary goal: to finish (and to not be last). My stretch goal was to run the entire 5k without walking (by far my weakest event), and I did it. I'm not going to go into the details of that day. This post is already long enough, and a lot of those thoughts and memories are things I either can't put into words or don't want to. I ran across that finish line feeling better than any other time I can remember. I almost felt like a kid again, having done something that made me so happy and thinking anything was possible. If you had asked me if I could have done that 5 months earlier, I would have laughed in your face. But I did it, and I didn't suck. I was hooked. I have no dreams of completing an Ironman distance race, or even a marathon. But after that race, I won't discount the possibilities.
Triathlon = Good Idea.
We'll start with swimming. I taught myself how to swim when I was a kid. My dad lived by the beach and I was in the water almost every day in the summer. My senior year in high school, I got it in my head that I wanted to be a lifeguard. I saw a posting on the school bulletin board and for some reason thought, that seems like a good idea. I still remember that swim test. I'm pretty sure we only had to swim 200m, with no time limit, and by the end I thought I was going to die - I had never actually tried to swim laps before that day. (Sidenote: Make sure you have an appropriate swimsuit for swimming laps - my sweet ass neon blue and green Body Glove one piece of at least 5 years of age wasn't really up for the challenge. On my last lap I realized that the front had enough drag to end up around my ribs with my breasts completely exposed. I was so focused on not drowning I hadn't noticed until the end, though I don't think my instructor minded much.) I eventually began swimming enough over the next few years that I was relatively competent at it, though I still had no training or technical skill.
Jump to my next athletic milestone - running my first mile. I was absolutely one of those kids in high school that failed this portion of the Presidential Fitness Test. I could barely make it 100m before I had to walk. So in college, I decided to get in shape. I actually found a Navy Seals training book and used it as my guide to improve my running, swimming and strength (cause that seemed like a good idea...). After weeks and weeks of building up, I finally ran a whole mile. I still remember that night. I was telling everyone I could think of. I was so excited I didn't even care that it was kind of embarrassing that I couldn't run a mile prior to that. I started jogging and could make it about 3 miles before wanting to die. I maintained that pace and distance for the next 9 years or so. There was a brilliant day one summer in Arkansas right after a cooling rain that I managed to knock out 5 miles, and that was never repeated.
On to the bike. I loved riding my bike as a kid. It brought such freedom. I loved the way it felt to fly down hills. I remember crashing, a lot, and it never really phasing me. There was one crash in particular that I think I will always have an extremely vivd memory of. I had a blue Huffy BMX bike. I was riding down the hill in front of our house as fast as I could go. This hill had speed bumps, the wide sloping kind that you could ramp off of if you had enough speed. And I did. Unfortunately, on this particular run, my shoelace had come untied. It somehow managed to wrap itself around the pedal as I was spinning my little heart out until I finally got to the end of the lace. My foot was effectively attached to the pedal, and with no more slack in the lace, I could not move my foot forward. As I approached the speed bump, my only options were to try and brake or just let it happen. I went with the latter. My foot was at such an awkward angle that there was no way I could manage the landing. I came off the bump and went down hard (or "ate shit" as the kids say). Yet somehow, this didn't phase me. I laid on the ground for a minute, mentally assessing myself to see if anything was broken. After coming to the conclusion that there were no serious injuries, I got up and immediately went home to get cleaned up before my Dad or Stepmom came home (it was a rather serious offense to get injured in our house, so as long as you didn't absolutely have to go to the hospital, you did everything in your power to hide what happened). And the next day I was back on my bike. Man I miss that. Having no fear as a child. Being able to wreck one day and have no thought of it the next. More on that later...
So this triathlon idea. I can't take credit for this. This was all Matthew. I met my boyfriend Matthew about 2 years ago. Oddly, I was not unfamiliar with the sport or lifestyle. When I lived in Arkansas, my friend John Williams was competing in Ironman races. I thought he was insane. I would see him training and think, why would you ever want to do that to yourself (what seems like a good idea to you will not always seem like a good idea to others). I also had a friend in San Francisco who did triathlons, so this world Matthew was living in was not completely foreign, I just had no interest. I had decided I wanted to get a bike, and Matthew helped me figure out what kind I liked and which one to buy. I was talking about trying to run a half marathon in the fall with some friends and asked him to put together a training plan for me. Oddly enough, a nice Sprint tri fit very well into this schedule (well played, Mc Fadden). And when he brought it up, I though, why not? It seemed like a good idea. And it was.
I completed my first Sprint triathlon in Santa Cruz on August 8, 2010. My primary goal: to finish (and to not be last). My stretch goal was to run the entire 5k without walking (by far my weakest event), and I did it. I'm not going to go into the details of that day. This post is already long enough, and a lot of those thoughts and memories are things I either can't put into words or don't want to. I ran across that finish line feeling better than any other time I can remember. I almost felt like a kid again, having done something that made me so happy and thinking anything was possible. If you had asked me if I could have done that 5 months earlier, I would have laughed in your face. But I did it, and I didn't suck. I was hooked. I have no dreams of completing an Ironman distance race, or even a marathon. But after that race, I won't discount the possibilities.
Triathlon = Good Idea.
A Blog
This is actually my second blog. My first didn't last very long and I somehow ended up signing up for a paid blog hosting service that I had to finish paying for even though my blog was long gone. This time, things will be different though :)
Why a blog? Why not? An outlet to vent my frustrations, voice my thoughts and share my triumphs and embarrassments. Most likely with only myself, but I'm OK with that.
I started this without much thought other than it often helps to get things out on paper (or on screen) and a blog seems like a good idea. I then realized that many of the stories I would want to share generally start out with "sure, that seems like a good idea", hence the title of my blog. The best things in life often start on a whim, a random happening or conversation. Ironically, this is often how the worst things in life start as well. But that's the fun of it, right? You never know which way things are going to go. In my experience, even when things don't always turn out the way I had hoped or expected, I'm usually happy I went with it. If I didn't enjoy myself, at least I learned something.
So this is it. My recent trials and tribulations, here to entertain or bore you. For no other reason than in this moment, it seems like a good idea.
Why a blog? Why not? An outlet to vent my frustrations, voice my thoughts and share my triumphs and embarrassments. Most likely with only myself, but I'm OK with that.
I started this without much thought other than it often helps to get things out on paper (or on screen) and a blog seems like a good idea. I then realized that many of the stories I would want to share generally start out with "sure, that seems like a good idea", hence the title of my blog. The best things in life often start on a whim, a random happening or conversation. Ironically, this is often how the worst things in life start as well. But that's the fun of it, right? You never know which way things are going to go. In my experience, even when things don't always turn out the way I had hoped or expected, I'm usually happy I went with it. If I didn't enjoy myself, at least I learned something.
So this is it. My recent trials and tribulations, here to entertain or bore you. For no other reason than in this moment, it seems like a good idea.
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