Yoda footage to brighten Lauren's day:
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Yoda Gift for LAHP
With a collective 3 season of elite racing under our race belts, LAHP and I kick start the 2011 season on the first weekend in April. Lauren is racing the California 70.3 at Oceanside, the season opener world championships, and on the East Coast I'll be running the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
ANOTHER Slog Hero: High Notes and Low Notes
LAHP and I recognize women on The Slog who provide us inspiration. These champions of life have a knack for athletics and are ass-kickers in all life pursuits. For round three, we turn to music, though the woman of note, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, is more regarded for her influence in the political sphere. Please note that we DO NOT endorse political views here on our blog.
I am zipping through Rice's self-authored book: Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family and no, we aren't turning into a book club. A passage about her early piano playing days parallels the principles of sports and triathlon (found at 41% if reading on a Kindle!). I took the liberty of embellishing with CAPS, though the italics are Rice's flair.
On balance, though, I loved my life in Denver. I kept the same rigorous schedule of piano and skating that I'd established the year before. I made rapid progress in piano in particular, competing in statewide and regional competitions. My first major competition was something of a disaster, though. Playing a Mozart piano sonata from memory, I lost my place a few minutes into the piece and wound up at the end before I'd played the middle. I was DEVASTATED, although the judges said that what I had played was very good. It was the first time I'd really bombed playing the piano. My parents tried to be supportive and kept talking about how good I'd sounded. I learned at that moment that some failures are best absorbed alone. I thanked them for their concern and spent the night replaying the disaster over and over. I knew that I had not really been prepared for the competition. Perhaps because playing the piano is both a physical and a mental challenge, it's not possible to "cram" for a performance in the same way one can for an exam. In other words, practicing eight hours one day will not produce the same result as practicing one hour a day for eight days. I'd left my preparation to the last minute and it showed.
A couple of days later I asked my piano teacher when the next competition would take place. It would be the Young Artists' regional competition in the winter. I entered immediately.
Rice's narrative is an example of how to process feedback--in this case, failure--learning from it and moving on. Though failure doesn't feel as good as getting a first place prize in a piano competition, it's meaningful information that helps you modify your preparation for what's next.
Plus, Rice hits the nail on the head about the consistent practice required for mental/physical pursuits like playing the piano, painting, swimming, or holding your breath for 17 minutes like David Blaine. You have to keep slogging away, ideally with a smile.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentine's Day IS related to Triathlon
I am not a big Valentine's Day person. I don't like pink and hearts and am not particularly romantic. God forbid I cook Matt a special meal for fear he'll die from my cooking. Anyway, I feel the need to expound upon a relevant topic due to the recent deluge of articles related to dating or marrying a triathlete. I've recently come across an entire BOOK devoted to how to date a triathlete. I've also been forwarded multiple copies of an article from the Wall Street Journal about how triathlon training affects marriage. This article profiles an age group male triathlete (who also happens to be an investment banker....go figure) who trains all the time at the expense of his family. blah blah blah.......
What I find interesting about all of this hype is that once again, these advice givers are missing the point. Just as some coaches purport to have THE secret key plan to drop 45 minutes from your Ironman PR or raise your FTP by 100 watts, the authors of these articles are attempting to identify the keys to success in dating/marrying/not divorcing a triathlete. The reality is much more simplistic...imagine that. Relationships require commitment over the long haul, just as improvements in triathlon for athletes of all levels require a commitment to the long haul - to slogging out the zone 2 miles on the treadmill or riding the indoor trainer for hours in the winter. Good triathletes are good because they are committed , just as good relationships are good because both parties are committed to each other through the honeymoon "highs" to the "i just gave you the H1N1 flu" lows. Why do people complicate this by writing 100 step plans? This is almost as irritating to me as those "every kiss begins with Kay" Valentine's Day commercials. The worst one is when the woman feigns a deep-seeded fear of lightning during a little rain shower and jumps into the arms of some guy who assuages her fear with a Kay pendant. LIKE.FINGERNAILS.ON.CHALKBOARD.
HOWEVER, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I must send a special shout out to my husband Matt Pataky. He demonstrates his commitment in many ways, from wearing Yoda t-shirts for me at races, cleaning my gel-encrusted bike at all hours of the night and day, swimming in the lane next to me in the pool and forcing me to suck it up and hurt, and most importantly, sacrificing much of his ski season to spend time with me at home so that I don't have to deal with the altitude and temptation of skiing. Pataky is a killer skier, as you will see in the pictures below, so sacrificing ski time for me is huge. Someday I'll have to pay him back by learning how to cook or something....
What I find interesting about all of this hype is that once again, these advice givers are missing the point. Just as some coaches purport to have THE secret key plan to drop 45 minutes from your Ironman PR or raise your FTP by 100 watts, the authors of these articles are attempting to identify the keys to success in dating/marrying/not divorcing a triathlete. The reality is much more simplistic...imagine that. Relationships require commitment over the long haul, just as improvements in triathlon for athletes of all levels require a commitment to the long haul - to slogging out the zone 2 miles on the treadmill or riding the indoor trainer for hours in the winter. Good triathletes are good because they are committed , just as good relationships are good because both parties are committed to each other through the honeymoon "highs" to the "i just gave you the H1N1 flu" lows. Why do people complicate this by writing 100 step plans? This is almost as irritating to me as those "every kiss begins with Kay" Valentine's Day commercials. The worst one is when the woman feigns a deep-seeded fear of lightning during a little rain shower and jumps into the arms of some guy who assuages her fear with a Kay pendant. LIKE.FINGERNAILS.ON.CHALKBOARD.
HOWEVER, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I must send a special shout out to my husband Matt Pataky. He demonstrates his commitment in many ways, from wearing Yoda t-shirts for me at races, cleaning my gel-encrusted bike at all hours of the night and day, swimming in the lane next to me in the pool and forcing me to suck it up and hurt, and most importantly, sacrificing much of his ski season to spend time with me at home so that I don't have to deal with the altitude and temptation of skiing. Pataky is a killer skier, as you will see in the pictures below, so sacrificing ski time for me is huge. Someday I'll have to pay him back by learning how to cook or something....
Monday, January 31, 2011
Final Gifts
I am reading a book my aunt lent me, Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs and Communications of the Dying. It provides insight on the dying process to help family and caretakers make sense of it. My grandma is going to pass away very soon, and it's been a unique experience, even for me, living 350 miles away, to be on the sidelines as my aunts and family have cared for her the past 1.5 years of decline. She is 94 and has lived a robust life (complaint-free, imagine that).
It's fascinating that my grandma chooses to live, despite occupying a failing body. It gives me understanding of how powerful the mind is. I am grateful I had the opportunity to say good bye to her 2 wks ago when she still had the energy to joke.
My aunt left a bookmark in the Final Gifts book with this timely quote. A bible verse, actually:
Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43: 18-19, NKJV
A wise woman (LAHP) told me that sometimes we need to go to the 'desert' to deal with life... desert being a relative term. Indeed.
It's fascinating that my grandma chooses to live, despite occupying a failing body. It gives me understanding of how powerful the mind is. I am grateful I had the opportunity to say good bye to her 2 wks ago when she still had the energy to joke.
My aunt left a bookmark in the Final Gifts book with this timely quote. A bible verse, actually:
Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43: 18-19, NKJV
A wise woman (LAHP) told me that sometimes we need to go to the 'desert' to deal with life... desert being a relative term. Indeed.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Sacrificing YODA for the color pink - a horror story
In my spare time I came across this gem of an article on cnn.com, the most trusted news in the universe. I thought I'd share it, because I love Star Wars and repeat Yoda quotes during races. :)
Katie Goldman - way to keep it real. Never fear a group of pre-teen mean girls in Evanston, IL. They are probably just crabby and pent-up because it is so freaking cold there.
Yes, that is a Yoda head on my aerobars.
Katie Goldman - way to keep it real. Never fear a group of pre-teen mean girls in Evanston, IL. They are probably just crabby and pent-up because it is so freaking cold there.
Yes, that is a Yoda head on my aerobars.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Lauren's Ironman Arizona Race Report
This might be a record for how fast I've been able to write a race report after the race. My few weeks of tennis/ski/mountain and road bike season have just started so before I get back to work I need to cram in all extra-curriculars such as blogging. Once again, I've been remiss in my blog updates due to the age-old work and training excuses so this blog is a long time in coming. Since Rev3, I recovered, attempted to race Austin 70.3, recovered from that and did a nice training build for Ironman Arizona, my third and definitely FINAL ironman of the year.
All I could say about Austin 70.3 can be and will be said with these 2 photos:
Blah blah blah blah
After Rev3 I was psyched to attempt another Ironman race but as the weather turned bad (as bad as it can be in the SF bay area) and the days grew shorter I really found myself struggling to get the work done.
Team Pataky rolled into Tempe late on Thursday and was greeted by a bright and shining coach Paulo on Friday morning at the pool for a little workout and chat. It is always nice to see Paulo face to face as he dispenses his no-nonsense race advice. We also found ourselves wandering around Target late on Friday searching for random last minute race articles. Target really is a taper killer, though, as you have to walk MILES AND MILES to find what you are looking for. Another interesting fact about my Target experience is that I only find myself going to Target in the presence of Lindsey, or when I'm at a race site.
Anyway, I was expecting a nice FAST course in Arizona. I did a short ride on the Beeline Hwy (part of the race route) on Friday and was excited by the constant tailwind. Dreams of averaging 25mph danced in my head that night, but my hopes were dashed on race day when gale force winds and some rain descended upon Tempe.
My swim was a few minutes faster than normal, and perhaps a bit less haphazard than usual, despite having to stop every 10 minutes and pull my cap back on my head. I saw Matt and some good friends of ours running along the path next to the lake shouting something at me. I assumed he was telling me to pick it up. I got out and heard Matt scream that I was only 2 minutes down from the B pack. I wasn't sure what position I was in after the swim but I knew I had to get to work.
Perhaps if I could learn to deal with open water swimming I wouldn't be caught up in this JV action.
My T1 running was faster than my marathon pace.
The first half of the first of 3 loops was blissful - minimal wind, slight incline, minimal people, no rain. This all changed when I hit the first turnaround and was blasted by the cross/head wind coming at me. The wind became progressively stronger as the day went on, so I just made sure to control what I could control - my watts (well, most of the time), attitude, and calorie intake. Matt miraculously appeared in random places all over that bike course, yelling splits and taking photos. I rode myself into 6th place by the end of the 2nd loop and managed to hold that position until the beginning of the second run loop. I rode around 5:01, which was about a minute slower than Rev3 for me.
BIKE FUN!!!!!
The run was a lesson in pain management - both mental and physical. I felt so strong and happy on the bike and then upon leaving T2 I remembered that I still had 26.2 miles to run. At that point, I would have preferred to curl up in a snuggie given the cold temps. I usually try to forget the mileage number, but it just seemed daunting to me. I felt flat and when I looked at the video Matt took, it looks like I had the cadence of an ox pulling a trillion ton plow. I tried to follow my nutrition plan and attempted to employ all sorts of mental tricks I've read about, but nothing was helping. My body started rejecting the powergels - it was probably just in protest mode after being forced to consume 1 trillion gels this year. The headwind did not help things either, but everyone had to deal with these conditions! Two girls passed me at the beginning of the second loop and then another 2 girls passed me towards the middle of the final loop. By that point, my quads were screaming at me and I wondered if they were going to hold out until the finish line. I did make it to the finish line in 9:33, good for 10th place in a stacked field and a nice way to end my season.
The rainbow hopefully masks the painful look on my face during the second loop of the run.
Last loop - trying to keep it together..just like that other guy in the photo.
I had to get back to work Monday so poor Matt had to pack up all my race crap and haul it around as I was pretty much useless and could not bend in any direction. In fact, still in race mode, I tried to beat an older woman with a walker up the jetway but she won. My calves gave out and I just couldn't push it.
This season I've learned so much more about racing as a pro (especially long course). I've enjoyed the training and racing this year and have really enjoyed getting to know some of my fellow pros. Unlike last year, I have no doubts about why I am racing - I love to race!
Thanks to Matt who has been such a supportive husband. I would be lost (or at least that pesky ISM saddle would still be hanging off my bike) without his help. His race day sherpa skills have been honed to a science. Also thanks to Coach Paulo for all of his wisdom and knowing how to manipulate me to get the work done correctly and in good health, and to Darrell at Front of the Pack for helping out with all of my bike maintenance and other triathlon needs. I dumped off my bike to be fixed recently (resplendent in a bath of Coke and power gels from a recent long training ride) and when I picked it up, it was GLEAMING...no questions asked.
Also thanks to all of the people who have kept me healthy and relatively uninjured this year. I will have to do a separate blog post about my "team" of medical professionals, but in short...thanks to Dixie Snyder and Anthony Gilbert, for their ART skills. Dixie also has mastered a 2 hour stabbing ART massage in which my QLs ,glutes, and some random back muscles are bent into submission. Also thanks to Lyresa Pleskovitch, Chiro/ART extraordinaire and to Harriet Garfinkel at Woodside Pilates for keeping my spine moving, and Patrick Wilson for 90 minute stabbing massages while watching sci-fi shows. INJURY prevention has been key for me this year! If anyone in the Bay Area reads this and is in need of an ART/CHIRO/Massage person, let me know and I'll put you in touch with these people.
Anyway, I've had a nice relaxing time with the Harrison family over Thanksgiving My mother was so happy to hear that my last race of the season was the week before thanksgiving, which means I could barely walk and thus was prevented from doing any turkey trotting. I'm now busy trying to run all the errands and clean all the closets I meant to clean in the past year but for which I just had no time!
ONWARD TO 2011!!!!!
Thanksgiving activities - the first and last time you will ever see me swinging a golf club.
All I could say about Austin 70.3 can be and will be said with these 2 photos:
Blah blah blah blah
After Rev3 I was psyched to attempt another Ironman race but as the weather turned bad (as bad as it can be in the SF bay area) and the days grew shorter I really found myself struggling to get the work done.
Team Pataky rolled into Tempe late on Thursday and was greeted by a bright and shining coach Paulo on Friday morning at the pool for a little workout and chat. It is always nice to see Paulo face to face as he dispenses his no-nonsense race advice. We also found ourselves wandering around Target late on Friday searching for random last minute race articles. Target really is a taper killer, though, as you have to walk MILES AND MILES to find what you are looking for. Another interesting fact about my Target experience is that I only find myself going to Target in the presence of Lindsey, or when I'm at a race site.
Anyway, I was expecting a nice FAST course in Arizona. I did a short ride on the Beeline Hwy (part of the race route) on Friday and was excited by the constant tailwind. Dreams of averaging 25mph danced in my head that night, but my hopes were dashed on race day when gale force winds and some rain descended upon Tempe.
My swim was a few minutes faster than normal, and perhaps a bit less haphazard than usual, despite having to stop every 10 minutes and pull my cap back on my head. I saw Matt and some good friends of ours running along the path next to the lake shouting something at me. I assumed he was telling me to pick it up. I got out and heard Matt scream that I was only 2 minutes down from the B pack. I wasn't sure what position I was in after the swim but I knew I had to get to work.
Perhaps if I could learn to deal with open water swimming I wouldn't be caught up in this JV action.
My T1 running was faster than my marathon pace.
The first half of the first of 3 loops was blissful - minimal wind, slight incline, minimal people, no rain. This all changed when I hit the first turnaround and was blasted by the cross/head wind coming at me. The wind became progressively stronger as the day went on, so I just made sure to control what I could control - my watts (well, most of the time), attitude, and calorie intake. Matt miraculously appeared in random places all over that bike course, yelling splits and taking photos. I rode myself into 6th place by the end of the 2nd loop and managed to hold that position until the beginning of the second run loop. I rode around 5:01, which was about a minute slower than Rev3 for me.
BIKE FUN!!!!!
The run was a lesson in pain management - both mental and physical. I felt so strong and happy on the bike and then upon leaving T2 I remembered that I still had 26.2 miles to run. At that point, I would have preferred to curl up in a snuggie given the cold temps. I usually try to forget the mileage number, but it just seemed daunting to me. I felt flat and when I looked at the video Matt took, it looks like I had the cadence of an ox pulling a trillion ton plow. I tried to follow my nutrition plan and attempted to employ all sorts of mental tricks I've read about, but nothing was helping. My body started rejecting the powergels - it was probably just in protest mode after being forced to consume 1 trillion gels this year. The headwind did not help things either, but everyone had to deal with these conditions! Two girls passed me at the beginning of the second loop and then another 2 girls passed me towards the middle of the final loop. By that point, my quads were screaming at me and I wondered if they were going to hold out until the finish line. I did make it to the finish line in 9:33, good for 10th place in a stacked field and a nice way to end my season.
The rainbow hopefully masks the painful look on my face during the second loop of the run.
Last loop - trying to keep it together..just like that other guy in the photo.
I had to get back to work Monday so poor Matt had to pack up all my race crap and haul it around as I was pretty much useless and could not bend in any direction. In fact, still in race mode, I tried to beat an older woman with a walker up the jetway but she won. My calves gave out and I just couldn't push it.
This season I've learned so much more about racing as a pro (especially long course). I've enjoyed the training and racing this year and have really enjoyed getting to know some of my fellow pros. Unlike last year, I have no doubts about why I am racing - I love to race!
Thanks to Matt who has been such a supportive husband. I would be lost (or at least that pesky ISM saddle would still be hanging off my bike) without his help. His race day sherpa skills have been honed to a science. Also thanks to Coach Paulo for all of his wisdom and knowing how to manipulate me to get the work done correctly and in good health, and to Darrell at Front of the Pack for helping out with all of my bike maintenance and other triathlon needs. I dumped off my bike to be fixed recently (resplendent in a bath of Coke and power gels from a recent long training ride) and when I picked it up, it was GLEAMING...no questions asked.
Also thanks to all of the people who have kept me healthy and relatively uninjured this year. I will have to do a separate blog post about my "team" of medical professionals, but in short...thanks to Dixie Snyder and Anthony Gilbert, for their ART skills. Dixie also has mastered a 2 hour stabbing ART massage in which my QLs ,glutes, and some random back muscles are bent into submission. Also thanks to Lyresa Pleskovitch, Chiro/ART extraordinaire and to Harriet Garfinkel at Woodside Pilates for keeping my spine moving, and Patrick Wilson for 90 minute stabbing massages while watching sci-fi shows. INJURY prevention has been key for me this year! If anyone in the Bay Area reads this and is in need of an ART/CHIRO/Massage person, let me know and I'll put you in touch with these people.
Anyway, I've had a nice relaxing time with the Harrison family over Thanksgiving My mother was so happy to hear that my last race of the season was the week before thanksgiving, which means I could barely walk and thus was prevented from doing any turkey trotting. I'm now busy trying to run all the errands and clean all the closets I meant to clean in the past year but for which I just had no time!
ONWARD TO 2011!!!!!
Thanksgiving activities - the first and last time you will ever see me swinging a golf club.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Lauren's Rev3 Full RACE Report
I am happy to report that my body has survived relatively unscathed from my second long course race of the year. Last weekend I raced the Rev3 Full at Cedar Point and shaved 23 minutes off my previous best time to finish in 9:37, which was clearly a surprise to me (and Matt, who thought something was wrong with the race clock, and his watch, and my brother's watch, and my new sister in law's watch.....).
My training and racing up through Rev3 had been going pretty well...and by "pretty well" I mean that is has been consistent and drama free. I'm learning that to get the work done, I really just need to focus on some key things in life - family, work, and training..while also throwing in some fun time with friends so I don't go completely crazy and get burned out. My friends probably think I'm a bit weird when I show up for dinner after a 7 hr training day and eat half the table, given that I spent the first half of my life only eating protein or only eating non fat foods or only drinking vodka, or some other random diet! :)
Anyway...back to the race report:
I rolled into Cedar Point alone on Friday morning, as Matt was taking the Friday night red eye (yeah he loved that one). After sneaking in a swim with Jacqui, locating food that was not from KFC or McDs, I spent the rest of the day sitting around and probably moved no more than 3 feet from that location the rest of the day/evening. Saturday was more of the same along with a trip to pick up Matt halfway to Cleveland, that included an impromptu visit with LJ and her Dad, who graciously picked Matt up from the airport and delivered him to our meeting point - Aladdin's Fine Dining -home of America's best rice bomber, no joke. The highlight of this trip was Purse's bday gift to me - an underwater pace clock! HOORAY! Granted, I'm doing fine in the pool these days...so perhaps I should return this gift for a GPS-driven Kayak that has the correct coordinates of the turn buoys on the swim and that shouts out to me anytime I start heading the wrong way.
THE RACE:
For once in my life I was able to eat on race morning. Ensure is a fabulous product for nervous stomachs. After my Paulo-approved wake up/warm up routine, I headed to the beach. The water had been crazy rough the previous few days, but looked to be calmer on race morning. However, due to overcast skies,the RD postponed the race by at least 10 minutes as we could not even see the buoys. Finally we were off......and I was swimming decently....decent enough to keep the faster girls in sight at least. I felt strong and was okay with my position. I noticed the fast girls were swimming a bit wide of the first turn buoy so I was happy in the knowledge that I was smarter then that and would not be swimming extra. UNFORTUNATELY, I thought too soon and ended up swimming way off course to the turn buoy for the second loop. Lovely. Thankfully, a nice kayaker paddled over to tell me I was heading towards Cleveland rather than the correct buoy.
After dolphin diving for 200 miles to the beach finish, I finally made my way to T2...angry. I jumped on my bike and Matt told me that I better pick it up and bike down some girls. All I could think about was all the time I have spent in the pool swimming 400s with him and shaving time off each one....all of this for nothing?!
The bike course was great, aside from the first few miles of potholed pavement, and the intense wind. I think I only experienced maybe 3 miles of tailwind throughout the entire bike course. Other than having to ride on the center line of the road due to the evil stagger rule, I really enjoyed this course. The race organizers did an AMAZING job at marking the course, as I am the queen of missing turns and I had no problems with navigation on race day. The rolling hills and the wind kept it legit. Perhaps due to my frustration with the swim, I managed to bike my way into 4th place by around mile 35ish of the course and held that to the end of the bike. Going into this race I knew I was capable of having a good bike split, but was surprised by the number when I looked down at my SRM and saw 4:59 (official time was 5 hrs).
After gaining mobility in my back by doing my T2 stretching routine, I quickly headed out on the run (with an experimental gel flask in hand) and felt pretty good. Matt gave me some splits to 2-4 place and I noticed that I really wasn't hemorrhaging much time to them. I felt strong on the first loop of the course, but coming back over the hot and windy causeway for the second loop I was consumed with thirst. All I could think about was water: water fountains, water bottles, pools, lakes, sprinklers, bird-baths, and even shark-infested oceans. I finally got to an aid station and grabbed every cup of water available and then threw 2 cups of ice into the top my race suit (I highly recommend this). I learned later that this ice would be handy for quenching thirst in between aid stations...just grab an ice cube and instant (yet salty) hydration. For some reason, I couldn't handle the sports drink on course that day.
After my water park fun, I felt better and picked up the pace again, but not to match Jessica Jacobs blasting past me to a 3:03 run split! Around mile 20 Matt told me I was gaining ground on the 4th place girl. Later, he told me that he was just saying this to make me feel better, but apparently he has great foresight as the next time I saw him I was a minute closer to her...and then closer..and closer...Finally, with less than a mile to go I was within 30 seconds of her. Unfortunately she turned around and saw me, despite my best intentions of hiding behind some other racers, so she knew I was there. I tried with every last bit of energy and half-dissolved ice cubes to pick up the pace enough to pass her but ran out of real estate and ended up finishing 5th, 18 seconds behind 4th place.
Despite the first leg of this race, I am happy with the results. It's great to see the consistent training pay off in a PR. While I'd love to be an overnight success, I realize that this is not the way it is for most mere mortal triathletes. Every race is an opportunity to improve in some way. I've had some bad races and good races so far this year, but have noticed that despite the bad races, I really do love this sport and WANT to get faster. This goes back to the conversation I had with myself on the bike before the season even began and is something I have stuck with all year.
I HIGHLY recommend the Rev3 races. This first year race was fantastic and the group did a great job of organizing and thinking about what it is that racers (both pros and amateurs) really want. DO THESE RACES. Thanks to my awesome husbandsherpa Matt who survived a red eye, 5 hour delayed flight from DC, and numerous early morning wake up calls to come and support me last weekend, as well as countless hours in the Los Altos pool swimming 400s with me and not letting me cry like a baby. Someday I SWEAR this swimming will pay off in the open water as well. Also thanks to Scott and Katie, my brother and new sister in law, who drove down from Chicago to spectate. They were excellent motivation and encouragement, and did a great job of keeping Matt calm. Also thanks to smart Coach Paulo who knows what to do with me and never disappointed with his Saturday morning bike workout gifts, and Front of the Pack, for again, dealing with all manner of random bike issues.
Jacqui and I right before the swim start....yes, it was still pitch black outside.
Rev3 Full Age Group Start
Illegal communication
Getting ready to ride..hiding my anger pretty well.
Clearly the camera is distorting my run form. :)
The end...hooray!
I do occasionally smile.
My training and racing up through Rev3 had been going pretty well...and by "pretty well" I mean that is has been consistent and drama free. I'm learning that to get the work done, I really just need to focus on some key things in life - family, work, and training..while also throwing in some fun time with friends so I don't go completely crazy and get burned out. My friends probably think I'm a bit weird when I show up for dinner after a 7 hr training day and eat half the table, given that I spent the first half of my life only eating protein or only eating non fat foods or only drinking vodka, or some other random diet! :)
Anyway...back to the race report:
I rolled into Cedar Point alone on Friday morning, as Matt was taking the Friday night red eye (yeah he loved that one). After sneaking in a swim with Jacqui, locating food that was not from KFC or McDs, I spent the rest of the day sitting around and probably moved no more than 3 feet from that location the rest of the day/evening. Saturday was more of the same along with a trip to pick up Matt halfway to Cleveland, that included an impromptu visit with LJ and her Dad, who graciously picked Matt up from the airport and delivered him to our meeting point - Aladdin's Fine Dining -home of America's best rice bomber, no joke. The highlight of this trip was Purse's bday gift to me - an underwater pace clock! HOORAY! Granted, I'm doing fine in the pool these days...so perhaps I should return this gift for a GPS-driven Kayak that has the correct coordinates of the turn buoys on the swim and that shouts out to me anytime I start heading the wrong way.
THE RACE:
For once in my life I was able to eat on race morning. Ensure is a fabulous product for nervous stomachs. After my Paulo-approved wake up/warm up routine, I headed to the beach. The water had been crazy rough the previous few days, but looked to be calmer on race morning. However, due to overcast skies,the RD postponed the race by at least 10 minutes as we could not even see the buoys. Finally we were off......and I was swimming decently....decent enough to keep the faster girls in sight at least. I felt strong and was okay with my position. I noticed the fast girls were swimming a bit wide of the first turn buoy so I was happy in the knowledge that I was smarter then that and would not be swimming extra. UNFORTUNATELY, I thought too soon and ended up swimming way off course to the turn buoy for the second loop. Lovely. Thankfully, a nice kayaker paddled over to tell me I was heading towards Cleveland rather than the correct buoy.
After dolphin diving for 200 miles to the beach finish, I finally made my way to T2...angry. I jumped on my bike and Matt told me that I better pick it up and bike down some girls. All I could think about was all the time I have spent in the pool swimming 400s with him and shaving time off each one....all of this for nothing?!
The bike course was great, aside from the first few miles of potholed pavement, and the intense wind. I think I only experienced maybe 3 miles of tailwind throughout the entire bike course. Other than having to ride on the center line of the road due to the evil stagger rule, I really enjoyed this course. The race organizers did an AMAZING job at marking the course, as I am the queen of missing turns and I had no problems with navigation on race day. The rolling hills and the wind kept it legit. Perhaps due to my frustration with the swim, I managed to bike my way into 4th place by around mile 35ish of the course and held that to the end of the bike. Going into this race I knew I was capable of having a good bike split, but was surprised by the number when I looked down at my SRM and saw 4:59 (official time was 5 hrs).
After gaining mobility in my back by doing my T2 stretching routine, I quickly headed out on the run (with an experimental gel flask in hand) and felt pretty good. Matt gave me some splits to 2-4 place and I noticed that I really wasn't hemorrhaging much time to them. I felt strong on the first loop of the course, but coming back over the hot and windy causeway for the second loop I was consumed with thirst. All I could think about was water: water fountains, water bottles, pools, lakes, sprinklers, bird-baths, and even shark-infested oceans. I finally got to an aid station and grabbed every cup of water available and then threw 2 cups of ice into the top my race suit (I highly recommend this). I learned later that this ice would be handy for quenching thirst in between aid stations...just grab an ice cube and instant (yet salty) hydration. For some reason, I couldn't handle the sports drink on course that day.
After my water park fun, I felt better and picked up the pace again, but not to match Jessica Jacobs blasting past me to a 3:03 run split! Around mile 20 Matt told me I was gaining ground on the 4th place girl. Later, he told me that he was just saying this to make me feel better, but apparently he has great foresight as the next time I saw him I was a minute closer to her...and then closer..and closer...Finally, with less than a mile to go I was within 30 seconds of her. Unfortunately she turned around and saw me, despite my best intentions of hiding behind some other racers, so she knew I was there. I tried with every last bit of energy and half-dissolved ice cubes to pick up the pace enough to pass her but ran out of real estate and ended up finishing 5th, 18 seconds behind 4th place.
Despite the first leg of this race, I am happy with the results. It's great to see the consistent training pay off in a PR. While I'd love to be an overnight success, I realize that this is not the way it is for most mere mortal triathletes. Every race is an opportunity to improve in some way. I've had some bad races and good races so far this year, but have noticed that despite the bad races, I really do love this sport and WANT to get faster. This goes back to the conversation I had with myself on the bike before the season even began and is something I have stuck with all year.
I HIGHLY recommend the Rev3 races. This first year race was fantastic and the group did a great job of organizing and thinking about what it is that racers (both pros and amateurs) really want. DO THESE RACES. Thanks to my awesome husbandsherpa Matt who survived a red eye, 5 hour delayed flight from DC, and numerous early morning wake up calls to come and support me last weekend, as well as countless hours in the Los Altos pool swimming 400s with me and not letting me cry like a baby. Someday I SWEAR this swimming will pay off in the open water as well. Also thanks to Scott and Katie, my brother and new sister in law, who drove down from Chicago to spectate. They were excellent motivation and encouragement, and did a great job of keeping Matt calm. Also thanks to smart Coach Paulo who knows what to do with me and never disappointed with his Saturday morning bike workout gifts, and Front of the Pack, for again, dealing with all manner of random bike issues.
Jacqui and I right before the swim start....yes, it was still pitch black outside.
Rev3 Full Age Group Start
Illegal communication
Getting ready to ride..hiding my anger pretty well.
Clearly the camera is distorting my run form. :)
The end...hooray!
I do occasionally smile.
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