Full Dogfish Dash Race Report

In my earlier post today, I mentioned a little 5K the Personal Cook and I did in September. The more I thought about it, the more I decided it needed a full race report.

Not necessarily because of the race itself - which was awesome. We got to Rehoboth Beach and walked around, played a lot of Skeetball for $0.10 a game, and we camped the night before the race - PS. falling asleep to the ocean is fantastic!

The next morning, we know parking would be an issue so we got up early, tore down our campsite in about 35 minutes, and headed to the brewery. Of course we had some time to kill after the port-o-john line, so I showed the PC a little YouTube video. I really don't remember where I found it, but it makes me laugh EVERY TIME!

This now brings us to why this race was awesome and needed its own race report. I have a new goal for pictures during races. I have never made it a secret that in races, especially triathlons, I tend to run for 3 reasons, and these 3 reasons only. When I see the following:
1. Family
2. Friends
3. Photographers

Fast forward to the race and the gun went off, we started running, smiled for the first photographer, and stuck to the 9:1 plan. Yes, I said run 9 minutes, walk 1 minute. All was going well, and during a walk break we saw a photographer, so we had to start running. However the PC said "How about we do the T-1000", and that changed everything. Every other photographer we saw, we tried to capture a different style from the Awkward Runners. Unfortunately, only one picture really shows our dedication to the craft.It was SO MUCH FUN! I mean really, no one EVER looks good in pictures while running, so I might as well try to capture the Geezer or Dandy. I think this shows my skills with the Flightless Bird.

That was a nice distraction as I was HURTING after about 20 minutes. But as I said, the PC stuck with me, kept me running, and got me across the line in 37.01, a solid 2 minutes faster than my last stand alone 5K (not including the Warrior Dash). I beat my all my 'targets', was very happy with my time, and the post race food was fresh fruit with yogurt and granola - and good BEER. Oh, and with the PC. Really couldn't ask for more from a race.

The Race Report

There are so many things I have wanted to say about this race, and I have had a hard time collecting my thoughts and actually writing (typing) them down.

The Days Prior.
It's no surprise to anyone that I was not at my peak before the race - physically or mentally. Between the 'big things': not being able to walk 3.5 weeks prior to the event, major hip pain from the 12 hour drive that left biking extremely painful, an unfortunate family situation that kept the Personal Cook from my side the days prior to the Ironman; and some "smaller" not ideal situations: my weight being 7 pounds higher than when I left DC, not receiving the hotel room I thought I reserved, having a CRAP practice swim on Friday.

All the big and little situations left me questioning even if I should bother getting into the water to start. I didn't feel well. I didn't feel ready. I was already an Ironman. So why even bother? I could get drunk, cry, and watch my friends accomplish their goals. I had lost my drive, and it showed. Coach kept calling for me to give him a play by play of my days and thoughts. Toby talked me into having a glass of wine and taking a shower to relax, and not make any decisions. The PC kept calling to check in. AJ was on a flight with Alejandro to sherpa. Erica was driving down the next day. Suzie, Rick and Therese were all coming on Sunday. And of course there were my parents.But Sandy and Lindsey talked me into going to the banquet and dinner. So I went, still in a funk. And something happened. There was Mike Riley, the motivational 9-11 participants, the married couple, the youngest and oldest participants, and a video. One little video with one line that changed everything.

YOU WILL DO THIS

By the end of the banquet, I was so happy to see all my DC Tri peeps and we were ready to CRUSH IT on Sunday.

On Saturday, the swim was under perfect conditions. The bags were packed with the check boxes marked. Blain shifted perfectly before he was racked. Racking was an issue - as number 403 did not have a spot. Actually, 401-410 didn't have spots... But given EVERYTHING else that went wrong, I took this in stride, found the proper place for Blain, and was on my way. I finally felt ready.

Race Day
Erica and I actually got some sleep before the alarm went off at 4:30. She was there in 2008, and commented on how different I was this time. Almost calm - hearing that actually helped. I was calm. I was excited. But I was not nervous. I know I had done all I could do, and the fact I was going to the start line was an accomplishment.

Swim
What can I say about a swim with 2400+ people? It's just crazy. The first part started well. Then I got punched in the face so hard I thought I was going blind in my right eye. I didn't bother looking in my watch, I really didn't care. I had a goal time - but not really. A few more punches and kicks, some open water, and a lot of thinking about how to handle the bike. Before I knew it, I was making my way towards the finish. Time - 1:13:23

T1
Emily had an awfully terrible picture of me coming up the helix. It's a combo of "confused/dizzy" and to quote her "you look as if you'd been sleeping for 22 hrs and I just woke up and you're all "Whaaaa? Huh?" ;)" Which is true.
What, you want to see that picture as well? Fine. But it's not pretty! The rest of T1 was pretty uneventful. I just tried to move as fast as I could, but still make sure everything felt right. 112 miles is a long time to not have your socks in the right place!
Time - 11:45

Bike
Again, not being mentally ready for 112 miles crushed any confidence I had in my fitness. So when my right butt started to hurt 20 minutes into the bike, I was worried. Then I remembered that I tend to hate the first 45 -60 minutes of every bike ride, so I kept going.
Adam and Jen passed me first. I saw Suzie, Rick, Erica, and Therese 3 times within the first hour. (Erica had my phone and was taking pics and updating facebook. Thanks Erica!!) I think it was Dena and Jelena next. I FINALLY got to meet Stephanie (hi Stephanie!!) for a good 5 seconds as she passed, and I tried to keep up and chat. Becky passed me next. Then I heard Sandy, who just made me smile. And Jenny. And then it was the 3 hills.

At the end of the second one the guy in front of me clipped out and people just started cheering for me, as I was still pedaling. A guy in a full banana suit ran up, and passed me... and a few others in Speedos with flags wrapped around them a la Tour style ran passed me too... And then I saw the lead PRO MALE pass me as if I was standing still. Oops... all those cheers were for him, but I didn't clip out so I really think there were a few in there for me too.

And when the third hill hit, around mile 50, I had a pain in my right side I had never felt before. Almost like a side stitch, but it kept me from taking a deep breath. Not.Good. Alejandro and AJ were at the top with a sign that said "GO BLAIN! (and Amanda too)" - which I LOVED! But I pulled over and started to hyperventilate. My legs hurt, my foot hurt, my back hurt and I couldn't breathe. So I clipped back in and pedaled off to with special needs (mile 58) in mind. Lindsey passed, and Jen passed. And Tammy. I got to special needs and started to stretch. I took what felt like 5-10 minutes figuring out what to do. Motrin, salt pills, sun block (thanks Jen!!! Note - always back a spray, not a tube!) biofreeze (I had been stopping about every 45-60 min to reapply) and Gu. No blocks. No combos. No power pellets (peanut M&M's). No SNICKERS! I know, all the training I did with Snickers - but I did not want them.

I got back on and kept going - seriously questioning why. I passed Erica, Suzie, Therese and Rick and gave them a thumbs down sign. I passed my parents and told them I was giving everything I had. And I was. If I stopped, I would have been happy with what I did. But my favorite part of the course is mile 30/70 - 40/80, so I figured I should at least do that - I was so close. And once I enjoyed that section, I figured the 3 hills were right there, so I might as well try them. Plus, I wanted to make sure there were Hula girls and not Pirates at the 40/80 mile water stop. I was sure Brooke, Diane and ME were dying to know.

On the first hill, my right inner thigh cramped. I had enough time to take a few salt tabs, some combos and a swig of Accelerade before the left inner thigh cramped. Again, all the guys around me were clipping out, but I kept going. I swim through leg/foot cramps all the time, so why not try and pedal through 2 inner thigh cramps. While going up hill... but it worked. And I made it. There was no one was in a banana suit to get me up the next hill - at least in person, there was one there in my mind. And I started talking to a 25 year old who agreed that at every turn was into the wind, or maybe he was a hallucination too... I saw my parents and said "1 more hill, I think I can do this". And no side stitches, no unclipping, I just moved forward. Back to Verona. And back to Madison. As fast as I could, so I would have more time on the marathon. And a slight tail wind helped...
Time - 8.02.40

T2
Once I got into transition, my order and plan was out the window as soon as I dumped my bag. I just wanted to get moving. I forgot to body glide my feet, biofreeze my feet, take off my heart rate monitor strap, and re-body glide my knees for my knee brace straps. (I paid for all of those when I hit the shower...)
Time - 5:29

Walk
My plan was to walk the first mile, then try and run:walk. But the first mile is around the Capitol, down state street, people are calling your name and cheering - so walking is hard. But so was running, so I knew a run:walk wasn't going to happen. Option 2 - walk with a purpose. I knew if I did 15 minute miles, I would finish. And I was surprisingly happy... Still not confident I would finish, but I really happy I made it as far as I had.
AJ found me around mile 3 and I told her how my foot was really hurting and I needed to retie my shoe, but was afraid to stop. I eventually found a ledge and kept going - worried about what that 1 minute stop did to me, that I knew I couldn't stop again. Andrea passed on Observatory hill (and I only mention everyone passing me because it was SO GREAT to see everyone on the course. Same with Ellen, Amy, Chris and others I am not thinking of right now). On State street, I heard lots of cheering, people yelling "Go Amanda" and "Woo Hoo!". Normally, I like to ham it up for the crowds, but I was on a mission and needed to get a buffer on my 15 minute mile pace - so I didn't even stop to hug Greta, a college friend from my polo days. She got a quick (sweaty) hug and hi as I kept moving. So when a guy yelled "Hey Baby" and stared to come into the street, I was ready to stiff arm him out of my way and keep going. But to my unbelievable surprise, it was the Personal Cook, ready to get me to the finish line, dressed in khaki shorts and all... He had left the Chicago area after a family wake, with the funeral the next day, to be at my side.

The marathon did not showcase my finer side. There was some yelling, informing the PC that the only answer was "Okay", but not in a questioning way - a firm, OKAY tone, was all I wanted hear. He wasn't allowed to complain (khaki shorts... really...), or tell me to "Never give up, never surrender" as we joked about before. He was to ignore my mantra of "You WILL do this" - which I had taped on Blain and read it over and over - so I had to keep saying it, but he wasn't allowed to say it. However he was also not allowed to leave my side, unless it was State street (tons of people so I was fine), or the Ford motivation mile (thanks mom and dad, I kept Moooooooving), or another out and back where I felt confident. (Side Note - I fully understand that outside help is not allowed in the Ironman. And some people may not think I earned my finish - and to them, f' off.)

It wasn't until I was whining for the 127th time that I hurt and I just wanted to stop moving forward, that he pointed up to the sky at something all a glow - the Capitol. It was so close, and I started to get choked up. I had 1 hour and 14 minutes to do 2.2 miles. I was going to do it again. I was going to be an Ironman, a second time.
Walk - 6:49:37

Nothing. And I mean NOTHING compares to an Ironman finish. Nothing compares to hearing the crowds. All the pain being lifted away. The party. And the voice of Mike Riley.

"From Washington DC, Amanda Chadwick - Amanda, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN"

I Am Consistent...

Today was my last 'race' before IM Moo. I use the term loosely because it was just a swim. But a 2.4 mile swim. And I was timed. So it counts as a race, right?

It was HarborFest, and I did the DC Tri Club 2.4 mile IronSwim. Kind of a last minute decision, and one I am happy I made. All the swimmers arrived around 7 or 7:30, and the race was supposed to start at 8:15. Mother Nature had another idea and we were delayed about 25 minutes. But, better to be safe. Or, as safe as you can be when swimming in the Potomac... And it gave us a chance to take an IM Moo picture!

(6 of the 15 or so DC Tri club members participating in IM Moo 2011! IN 4 WEEKS!)

We all, tentatively, jumped into the water, and waited for the gun to start us on our 5 lap race. It's always moments like this I am thankful, when you are without a wet suit (water temp was around 82 - so no wet suits) that I can tread water without much effort.

The start and first lap weren't too bad. There were about 40 or 45 people so not too much kicking and fighting for position.

Time - 16.35

Lap 2 I noticed I was 2 other guys pretty close to me. So, I got behind one of them and just drafted. Took it easy, did some breaststroke, tried not to drink the water.

Time - 16.28

Lap 3 I left the 2 guys and took off. Or so I thought I did. I was feeling pretty good, but also noticed I was pulling to the left one side of the course, and to the right the other side of the course. Strange. Also on the way back, I saw my Personal Cook on the dock waving at me. I stopped and said a quick hello, he told me I was looking good, and I said that I had 2 more laps. I had my ear plugs in, so that is what I think we said...

Time - 16.31

Lap 4 is when I realized the buoys were not in a line any more - I wasn't that off on my pulling. The wind really picked up so I am pretty sure that is why. Also, once you were more into the open water, no longer shield by the dock, things were a tad bit rough. It did make sighting a more of a challenge, especially because I was on my own. Another wave to the PC and I was ready for my final loop.

Time - 16.32

Lap 5 was even more choppy, but I just tried to sight the turn buoys and forget the other ones. I did get a bit of a foot cramp, which reminded me that I just don't kick. Ever. But I really tired to push the last length and focus on pulling from my back. PC made the universal "CRUSH IT" pose - which I almost choked on some Potomac water, and I finished.

Time - 16.31.

Total time-ish, 1 hour 22 minutes, 45 seconds. 5th female and 13th overall.

I tend to judge my swims by my placement, not by time. It's really hard to measure a course correctly, and keep it that way for the entire event, so I was very happy with my placement.

As for the time, at IM Moo I will be tapered, there will be more people to draft off of, and I will have a wet suit. So, I am hoping to go 5-7 minutes faster.

But everyone had a great event and hopefully no one gets sick... you never really know about the water quality of, or what is in, the Potomac...

Onto The Swim

Wednesday's Post

After yesterday's catch up post, I left off at the end of Saturday, ready to take on the tiny little race the next day.

My number one goal for this race was revenge. Remember my last attempt in 2009? Yup, so I wanted pay back. I wanted to and needed to prove that I could swim 4.4 miles again. For some reason finishing successfully in 2006, 07, and 08 was no longer enough. Unfortunately, time got away from me and I just didn't put in the training.

So I had a Plan B. Training day!
It would be an open water swim for as far as I could make it in the time allowed. I realized I had nothing to prove to anyone, I didn't put in the time for training, and this wasn't a goal race. So, I ate meat the day before. I had a few beers. And I frantically packed my sparkly wet suit bag before my parents arrived to head to the Bay. In fact, they had to pick up ear plugs for me because I ran out, forgot, and wasn't close to a 24-hour CVS.

My favorite, and faster, brother was doing the swim as well, and when he got into the car he said "I don't want to do this", but with a few more colorful words.

But we made it to Sandy Point State Park, ! got checked in, and waited for the start. An 11:30 start. As nice as it was to sleep in - I really just wanted to get going, it was hot! But it was nice to chat with Arin's g'friend. And Kristin made it out for the start too. So there were plenty of distractions instead of thinking about the upcoming 4.4 miles.

Eventually the announcement were over and it was time to put on the wetsuit. The body glide melted, as did the bag balm. Did I mention it was hot? Many people chose no wet suit, but even with the 80 degree water, I went with the suit. It was a good choice. After standing around for way too long, Arin and I posed for pictures, said our good lucks, and were off.

The first mile was fine. Flat water and I only had to kick a few people off for poor drafting and swim etiquette (which there really is no swim etiquette in open water. Just don't touch the person's feet you are drafting off of more than once).
Mile 1 - about 28 minutes.

Mile 1 to 2. Oh mile 1 to 2. The race director made this big deal about how this was the best conditions in 20 years. First a current going south, then north on the far end (opposite for the other 4 swims I have done) but mostly nothing. It would be such a great day.
Huh-uh. Sure. Maybe he missed that section from mile 1 to 2. I kept thinking that if this was easy with no current, then I was not in shape and this open water swim thing just wasn't for me any more. I wanted to stop. I wanted to quit. I had nothing to prove, I didn't train, and had no desire to keep going. The mile was FOREVER TAKING and I just didn't care.

Finally I saw the aid boat right before the two mile buoy. I stopped, took off my goggles, and reevaluated my life. But for some strange reason, I put my goggles back on and kept going.
Mile 2 - 48 minutes.

Mile 2 to 3 wasn't much better. The current seemed better, I wasn't fighting to stay in between the bridges any more, but I had very little in me. I counted to 50 (about how many strokes for me to get get across a 50 meter pool), 10 times (about a 500 meter), and did that 3 times until I really looked for the next buoy. It was a nice distraction. Which was needed. And worked because the mile 3 buoy was very close.
Mile 3 - 44 minutes

I stopped at the aid boat before mile 3 and had my Accel Gel. I had taken it on the 4 hour ride with Hillary and FLEW by her on a slight incline (which just shouldn't happen) rambling about how nutrition was awesome. I was hoping for that same affect, but not so much. I do believe it gave my arms the power to keep moving. Because my legs stopped. Kicking was too much work and not getting me anywhere, so I just dragged them along (another reason the wetsuit was key!).

I flipped off the bridge somewhere in that mile between 3 and 4, knowing I wasn't going to get pulled out this year as I did in 09. It felt good.
Mile 4 - 38 minutes

Mile 4-4.4
Once I got outside the bridge and the current tried to push me back in but I wouldn't let it!! Also, once you get the side of the rode, you can walk. And walk I did. Yes, I did have the internal debate with myself:
- It's a 4.4 mile swim, not walk!
- Whatever, you just swam 4 miles after only training for 4000. You can walk!
- Swim dang it SWIM!
- Shut up
- Fine, I'll swim

So I swam the rest of the way in, passed a few walkers and was never so happy to finish. Also because I looked behind me and saw a very dark cloud. They were starting to pull swimmers (I found out later 62, or 10% of the total swimmers) due to an incoming thunderstorm. I was LUCKY! And happy.

On the ride home, I started rambling about other things I thought about on the swim - and thought I would share.
- What were the birds on the wires thinking? Do birds think? Did they just see us as potential food?
-There was a bird that flew right over me (I was in a yellow cap) and I was convinced he was going to peck at my head because he was hungry (and I wasn't moving fast).
- Whenever I swam from cold water to warm water, I figured I just swam through someones pee.
- At times, there were loud screeching/scraping noises. I figured it was the mermaids and they were about to come after me.
- I saw a semi drive by and was pretty sure it was about to come crashing into the water. What was I supposed to do if that happened? Would I be able to help?

Yup, that's what happens when you are in the water for 2 hours 54 minutes and a few extra seconds. I was extreamly happy to finish. And even happier that I finished the race with my brother (well, not 'with' as he finished about 30 minutes before me). AND even happier yet my parents were there.

What A GREAT Training Day!

I will start off by saying I was really happy with my training day yesterday. Once again, Coach, my personal cook, and my friends and family were all correct - the training I am doing is just fine, and working. I am also excited to write this because I can compare exactly how I did in 2008.
Onto the very long race report.
(NOTE - I am hoping for pictures soon. Official race ones won't be up for a few days. I haven't heard from Sandy yet on the pictures Carolina took. Also Karen said "sorry i don't have time to be uploading pictures. i'm training for an ironman. good day to you". So maybe after July 25th, I will get the pictures from her :-) )

Saturday night.
After my rocken' Friday night of cleaning Blain, Saturday night wasn't any more exciting. Karen came over so we could head up to Columbia bright and early, so she just helped me back my race bag and we had an early bed time.

Sunday morning.
4:00 am the alarm went off, the coffee maker starting brewing, and the English muffins were toasting. We were out the door by 4:35 and pulled into the park at 5:20. Early, yes. BUT, we got a great parking spot and had enough time to take a nap in the car before I had to set up transition. That all went pretty smoothly and by 6:20, the pros were off and Sandy, Karen and I were in line for the port-o-potties. I was still mentally trying to think of it as a training day, but my stomach had a different idea. I hadn't eaten yet and the thought of my english muffin with peanut butter and jelly was not good. But Karen and Sandy insisted I eat, and instead of small bites, I tried to cram a fourth of it into my mouth. Not smart and out it came. Into the bushes of course. I managed to get the rest of it down, with lots of water, and then it was time to sit and wait until 7:58, when our wave (the third to last) started.

Waiting sucks. But it is much better when you are with people. Especially when they tell you stories (Karen) and have super cut dogs (Carolina).

It was eventually time for Sandy and I to zip up our wetsuits and head to the water. We ran into Becky (also doing IM Moo) and discussed how today was a training day. That's all I wanted to focus on.

3...2...1... the whistle blew and off we went. I think I swam over a few people but I eventually found some open water and swam into the sun. I was still a bit nauseous and after a burp turned into a little bit of "littering", I felt so much better. I turned the corner away from the sun, had good sighting, and passed a few people from other waves. Oh, and I cleared out my bladder twice, (a new form of littering) so no more port-o-potties were necessary!
Swim time - 27:59 (1/11 Athena, 160/538 female). I was really happy considering my 2008 time was 26:17 (but I really think that course was short and I was 3/16 Athena, 149/599, so my rank isn't much lower).

On my way to T1 I saw Karen, who yelled "You CRUSHED it!" which is what she told me to do before I got into the water. Remember how I said a bunch of us tend to do what Karen tells us to? Well, that goes for this race as well. Karen said "Crush" the swim, so I "Crushed" the swim. (I am hoping there is a picture of me making my "crushed it" face running out of the water, as I ran by Karen)
Here is another little thing that I probably should post on the Internet, but I am going to.
Remember when I said I was happy I cleared my bladder twice during the swim? Apparently, that wasn't enough. As I was talking to Becky, who came out of the water right after me and was racked right behind me, I had to "go". And Karen says to "go" in transition, so I "went", while talking to Becky. SORRY BECKY! Once I was done, I finished taking off my wet suit, got my bike stuff ready and headed out.
T1 - 4:04 (vs. 5:47 - when I didn't "go")

Bike.
I heard Carolina cheer on my way out, and felt my quads immediately cramp up. I popped a couple of Combos, slowed down, and try to lower my heart rate. 5 minutes into the bike and Becky flew by me. We yelled "Training Day" and that helped me refocus on my goals for the day.
I took the first climb easy, didn't push on the down hills, and just tried to enjoy the beautiful day. Jen passed me and Sandy passed me, I mean FLEW by me around 30 minutes. I saw a few other DC Tri people heading back to the park, some more passed me. I was just enjoying my 41K bike. Around mile 17, I figured I could push it a bit more and started passing a few people. One woman because I didn't like her pink shorts. A guy because his outfit was see through at the butt (and I DID NOT want to ride behind that!). It was fun, and I felt really good.
Needless to say, when I saw the results of a 1:35:59, 15.9 mph, I was really happy. This was compared to 1:40:22 in 2008, and I was going for anything under 1:45.
T2 was uneventful. 2:23 (vs. 3:28)
Run.
I didn't have much of a plan going into the day. Should I go back to a 3:1? I haven't been training with a set run:walk so I did know. Karen suggested I just run what I can, and walk the hills. So, I decided to give that a shot. Because I have been running longer segments of time in training (PW 5, run 20, PW10, run 10 - stuff like that), it worked! I just ran the flats and down hills when I could, and walked the hills. If I needed to walk on a flat, I picked a point about a block away, walked, then ran again. It was awesome! I felt awesome. After an hour, I reset my mind to think of it as a new workout. Forget the swim, the bike, and the previous hour of PW/R'ing, and just started over. Considering I didn't run for over an hour yet, I thought that was the best plan. And that worked too.
1:18:54, 12:42 min/mile. This was my FASTEST 10K in a triathlon EVER and compared to 1:21:24, 13:07 in 2008 - I was ecstatic.
That put my total time at 3:29:18. A PR at Columbia by almost 8 minutes (3:37:16 in 2008) and an overall Oly PR by 2 minutes (which is great considering most Oly bikes are 40K and Columbia is a 41K).

So now, my legs are a bit sorer than they should be for an Oly. My knees are a bit achy. But I feel great. A huge thanks to Karen for telling me what to do, carrying my stuff, coming up to cheer as you did your 2 hour long run. To Carolina for making me laugh, pointing out the hole in my shorts before I started the race, and for being Ninja's mom. And to Sandy for being an awesome training partner. Sorry you had to run past my transition area after the swim. And to Becky, Jen, Hillary, Angela, and everyone else wearing or cheering for DC Tri, either at the race or at home - thanks.

Whatever Holograms!

After the most perfect day on Saturday, Sunday wasn't far behind - but in a very different way.

We all woke up casually, had a relaxing and tasty breakfast before Lindsey, Carolina, Sandy and I headed out to Quarryville, PA for our Warrior Dash.

Where to start - I guess with the fact that we were clean, at one point.
Running a tad late, we missed our 2 o'clock wave, and just missed the 2:30 wave. Luckily, the last wave started at 3, so we were good to go. After we checked our gear bags, looked at the costumes, we lined up at the start.

This is when I started to get a bit nervous. These ladies are a bit faster than I am, and even though they said they would stick with me, I still felt bad. Plus, I was surrounded by costumes and I had a strong suspicious that they would be fast than me as well.

But before I knew it, the countdown started, fire went off, and we were on our way. The ladies were great and stuck by my side as we did our first mile before our first obstacle - the "tunnels of terror". Next was the "tanker trouble" where we had to climb over 4 trucks. There was a window to step on and a rope to pull yourself up. And on the first one, as I was figuring it out, Lindsey pushed my a$$ up, which wasn't really needed, but I think she just wanted to grab my a$$ (and I told her I would write that for all the world (or my 7 readers) to see). After the third truck, on the way down, I slipped and fell hard on my butt. Of course to the laughter of others - and myself. I proceeded to fall on the last one too. There was a "hell's hills" and hay bales next. Then the cargo nets! This was fun. Brought back the inner child in all of us.

A water stop (much needed), some wooden planks, a maze to crawl through, some logs to jump over, and another tunnel/trench thing, then came the water and mud - "Breathless bog" is what it was called and it was described as "trudge through waist-deep water over logs". Carolina and I were first through and missed Lindsey sitting on the log, and rolled backwards. Here is Sandy consoling the very wet Lindsey.

By this point, there was TONS of mud so it made the barricades a bit slippery to go over. This was followed by another mud pit - which wasn't as deep as I thought, so when I jumped in, I fell right over. AGAIN. At this point, Carolina pointed out that the holograms weren't working as I kept falling over. But it was all in good fun. The next part was probably the hardest - a vertical climb, totally covered in mud. We would take 1 step, and just slide back down. Somehow we all made it up and all that were left was the "Muddy Mayhem" - scramble through a mud pit under barbed wire and the "Warrior Roast" - a leap over fire.

I don't think words can describe the last two obstacles - so here are some pictures.


















But the best is this finish picture. I think Lindsey was just ready to be done.

It was such a great time. There was some blood. Lots of bruises. Piles of mud. And countless laughs.

Oh, and some totally kick a$$ warrior hats.

Or Maybe Just A Velo

Well, yesterday didn't quite go as planned.

After an early dinner, it was an early bedtime for an early alarm. Transition closed at 7:30 for the Myrtle Beach Triathlon and Half Max, my wave was at 7:33, and there was very limited parking.
Julie, Angela and I got up, had breakfast and were off.
I ran into Brianna right away, which was awesome because she is fun to chat with. We are all setting up our transition areas, trying to get our tent/food down to the finish area, and all the other stuff you do before a race when the race director (RD) called everyone over.

Then he made the dreaded announcement. The swim was cancelled. NNNNOOOO!!!!!!!! It's the one thing in triathlon I really like - and am 'good' at. Because of all the rain, the bacteria in the Inter coastal water way was too high, something about ecoli, so they called off the swim. :-( Yes, it was better for everyone's safety - but still! So, there was a time trial start, with a T1 time.

I was with a bunch of our tri club people, which was the best way to past the time. Once it was my turn, I ran through the transition to the cheers of our club members doing the International and sprint distance courses. I grabbed Blain and headed out onto the first loop of the course (which was shaped like an H so you knew who was behind).

Things started off okay. I had the chance to look for lots of people and towards the end of the first loop I started seeing more and more DC Tri jerseys. It was a lot hotter than I expected. And the wind was not fun - again. I am really tired of flat, windy, and sunny courses!!

Loop two is where things started to go wrong. I had already stopped once to help a guy from the club with a flat (he sent me off as his tire wouldn't hold CO2). On one windy section, I saw 2 DC Tri jerseys, pulled over to see if they needed help (and I wanted the break). They were set and I went on my way. At the turn around, I had a tail wind for awhile and my body just started to not be happy. I checked behind me, there was no one, I got as close to the grass as I could, and littered.

All I kept thinking was to finish. Just finish. I was in a division of 1, and I could do this. That helped and eventually, 3 hours, 26 minutes, and 56 seconds later, I was done. And even with the 2 stops, wind, littering, and my legs rebelling - that is my fastest 56 mile split. I don't know if it really counts because there was no swim, but I will take it anyway.

I stumbled around a bit, grabbed a Sprite, and headed to the ladies room. After I littered a bit more, in the proper place, had the Sprite and a roll, I felt much better. Just in time to celebrate our guys coming in first, second, third and fifth OVERALL for the International race, and Janie coming in second and AJ coming in fifth OVERALL. Oh, and for the sprint, Steve and Toby won their divisions, Angela came in third, and a bunch of other people placed too. I am friends with fast people!

To our sadness, all this fastness wasn't enough to bring home the championship. Stupid Columbia Missouri club won, again. We are calling some shenanigans as the RD sounded like he played some favorites - but we are not sore losers. We did really well and I am so proud of our club.

I Am Two Thirds a ChesapeakeMan!

Note - Sorry - I was waiting for pictures... but there aren't any yet and I forgot my camera :-(


I have to say, I really do like this Aqua Velo thing! Who needs the run?!?! NOT ME!! Unfortunately, to do a 'full triathlon' I do need the run.

What a day! After a not great night in a smokey hotel room, Shannon and I were packed and ready to go. With a stop at Wawa for coffee, we were at the parking lot to grab the shuttle to Great Marsh Park. Emily was doing the full, Shannon, Becky, Cory and I were all doing the AV. A great group of ladies!! Before I knew it, I was body marked, wet suit on, and heading into the water.

That's about when I realized what I was about to do. 2.4 miles should take me less than 90 minutes. That's 3 tv shows - which I was thinking about because I am very behind on my DVR. That's a lot of time!! Luckily, right as I was starting to panic and realize my stupidity - I turned around to see the most amazing sunrise over the Choptank River (and yes, I was in river, but you know what I mean). Plus, I saw Cory and that was fun to share with someone.

The swim itself.
First of all, never use bag balm then touch your goggles. Not cool.
Overall, it was okay. There were only a few hundred people swimming, at the most, so it wasn't too bad. The biggest problem, besides the smudged goggles, was the beautiful sunrise. Half the course was swimming directly into the sun, so it made sighting IMPOSSIBLE!
But, all things considered, I really couldn't complain. I came in at 1 hour 25 minutes and a few seconds. And the results said I was first out of 5 for my age group for the swim :-)

I actually had a quick transition for my self - and again was first in age group.

The bike. Let's split this up into the 3 part mental game.
Part 1 - 22 mile out and back.
Felt pretty good. I got comfortable on the bike, fixed the shoes so they weren't too tight. Saw Becky at mile 8, Emily at mile 9, Cory passed me at mile 10 and I saw Shannon at mile 12. I was taking nutrition, and feeling pretty good.

Part 2 - the first 45 mile loop.
I have spent a lot of time on that loop so it was nice to know what was coming. And by that I mean the sun and wind. It's Cambridge, it was 10-12 degrees hotter than it ever had been for that race, and it felt like it. The rest stops couldn't come fast enough and as much as I tried to play the "I am only on a 45 mile ride (don't think about the first 22 miles or 2.4 mile swim)" game, it wasn't working. By mile 50 I had checked out and was going to stop at the special needs bag - the end of the first loop. It wasn't worth it to me, I hadn't trained, I didn't want to be on Blain any more. Dare I say it - I was almost wishing for a flat as an excuse to stop.
But, to my pleasant surprise, there was another rest stop, about 9 miles from the end of the loop. I stopped, had a water, talked to a few volunteers that perked me up a bit. And the last 9 miles weren't so bad. But I was still ready to stop.

Part 3 - the special needs area and the second loop.
516 was called out and there was my bag of stuff. Mini Snickers, Gu, pretzel M&M's, and organic chews. I made another bottle of Accelerade, and I stood there. I said "Someone please yell at me to go". They all laughed and one cheerleader girl came over and said "Come on, you can do it! That is if you really want to. Do you want to?"
My first thought, nope, I don't want to. I was hoping Shannon would show up and we could (illegally) ride together. Then a staff guy came over and said "Take a deep breath and go". So I threw my leg over Blain and stood there. He said it again, a bit more forcefully, and I clipped in on the left side. By the third time, he yelled and off I went to the cheers of the volunteers.

Of course loop two started right into the wind. I figured Shannon was right behind me so I kept looking. At the first rest stop I took my time, had a Pepsi (and I have no idea the last time I had a Pepsi), and kept going. It was so hot. Water wasn't cold. Things were sitting well in my stomach. And I could NOT be in areo. Eventually, very slowly, I made it to the next rest area, stopped, stretched, and eventually kept going. Still hot. And forming white lines around my jersey and shorts due to the salt.
At mile 100, I started talking to my self. There was NO ONE around. But I was sane, didn't see pirates holding their heads. And it was a very VERY long final 12 miles.

The Finish
I have never been so happy to get off my bike - AND NOT RUN. I finished, almost 8 hours later on the bike. A HORRIBLE time for myself, but I finished, and that always makes me happy.
And who was at the finish - Shannon. Poor girl sliced her foot coming out of the water and after the out and back, 1 loop, and a visit to the medic tent - she was out. But her time was awesome and she has time to get better before her full in November.

After
We met up with Becky and cheered on the runners. I have to say, we are awesome cheer-ers!! When we found Emily, I think she was a bit embarrassed - but embraced us anyway. AND, she came in 4th - OVERALL!!

Shannon and I headed back to the city - but of course, with 1 very important stop.

I Am An Irongirl!! Again!

Yesterday was a lot of fun. There is something to be said about having an event with all women. It seems so supportive, positive and much less intense.

It was another early morning - but for me, not too bad as I was still on East Coast time. We had some breakfast and were off to the race. Have you ever seen those people who bike to the race start and thought they were so bad a$$? It's over rated. HA! Actually, it was a pretty good 3.7 mile warm up.

Once we got to the start, it was the normal body marking and setting up the transition area. It was really fun because Mimi and I got to be next to each other, and we were one row away from Molly, Katie, and Molly (Katie's friend from Albuquerque, NM). Mimi and I took a quick walk to the swim start and it was a beautiful sunrise. We finished getting ready and it was off the start.

The Swim.
It was only 400 meters, so I wasn't too worried. Molly wanted to be at the front (it was a run in start) and I was okay with it. We had about 5 minutes before we went off and there was some good music playing, so I was having a little dance party. It was fun! Once the Aflac duck quacked - that was the starting gun, we ran in and started. The water was about 72 degrees and without a wet suit, it hit my lungs pretty hard. And the sun was coming up and I couldn't see the first two buoys. But, I managed to sight off of someone in front of me and do okay. The problem, it took me 2 minutes to get from the water to the transition area! It was a far distance, and I was not running!

The bike.
Molly offered to drive the bike course, but I declined. I didn't want to see what I was about to do. I knew the first was going to a false flat to start, and some rollers. That was enough to know for me. Sure enough, the first 4 or so miles too forever! I was sucking air and hating my choice to do this race. Sapphire was doing the best he could, but all I could wish for was Blain. But once the first part was done, the bike was actually kind of fun. I picked up some speed and still enjoyed looking around. And to my pleasant surprise, I averaged 16 mph. WooHoo!

The run.
This is where I had some issues due to the elevation. I tried to run, I really did, but I just couldn't. There were even a few times when I started on my walk break and felt a bit dizzy and light headed. But I did just keep moving forward. Not a great run time, but all things considered, I don't think it was that bad for me.

The finish.
Having a few people finish before you is fun because they come back and cheer for you. I noticed Mimi first, as she also had the DC Tri top on, and then heard Molly screaming her head off, which was super nice. I was still sucking air but managed to finish running, which is always nice.

Overall, it was a really fun race. It was nice being with friends, not taking the race too seriously, and just having a good time.
After the race, it was off to a micro brewery for lunch, a nice nap and a trip to the Rockies game. Vacations are awesome.

AWESOME!!!

That is how I feel about today's race. Let me explain.

After a traffic filled uneventful drive up to Delaware on Saturday, Mary Elizabeth and I meet up with Brooke and Diane at the hotel. We promptly drove the bike course and made fun of Mary Elizabeth for saying it was flat when there was 1 bridge overpass and a few tiny bumps (I can't even call them rollers). Our first choice for dinner wasn't an option, so we went for the second best choice - Matildas. Nothing says pre race dinner like an Australian pub!

After a lovely dinner with the most friendly waiter I have ever had, we were back at the hotel from some rest and relaxation - aka black jack and poker, played with Peanut M&M's and Skittles. This was a bit complicated because I ate all the red, orange and purple Skittles, while others were after the M&M's. After Brooke won the hand she said to Diane "What does that tell you"
Diane - "It tells me I should have eaten them when I had the chance." And that is how our pre-race day went.

Race Day!
Another 4:30 am wake up call. 'Nuf said.
We got there nice and early to do packet pick up and set up our transition areas. All pretty low key.

Swim.
I gave my watch to Mary Elizabeth for her Du, so I went into the swim not knowing how I would do when I was done. Turns out, ignorance is bliss.
I felt really good in the water. Nice strong swim strokes, good sighting, was towards the front of my wave, passed people from the 2 waves in front of me. I hopped on my bike feeling really good.
My time - AGAIN, not good for me. This was my slowest 100M split yet! I really can't keep blaming long courses, but my times are ALL OVER THE PLACE between the swims, tri's and AV's. But, I was still in the top 4th, which is where I normally am, so I guess it's okay.

Bike.
F.L.A.T!! That means fast. My goal was to spend as much time in aero as possible and push it. It was about 19.5 miles of FLAT. I also wanted to have better nutrition so I ate a bit more and drank more than last week.

I pushed it and I stayed in aero. Overall, I think it all worked pretty well for me as I finished in 1:04 and averaged around 18 mph! Woot!!

Run.
I wanted to push the run a bit more than I normally do, but also knew I just pushed the bike. My legs can only handle so much... I started with my run 1 minute, walk 1 minute. I felt good so I started running 5-10 seconds earlier and go 5-10 seconds longer. It may not seem like much, but I think it was. And I tried to concentrate on my form, use the proper muscles efficiently.
But here's the deal; I don't believe the time. Well, the distance really. And my GPS data backs me up. I think the course was at least 0.2 miles short.
BUT, if I just look at my GPS data or knock down the 3 miles a bit, I either have my second or third fastest minute/mile split EVER for a triathlon (and that's out of 16).

This means that for me this was my:
Fastest bike split.
Top 2nd or 3rd run split.
Slowest swim split (but second in my division out of 15).

Even though the course was FLAT with perfect weather conditions (low 80's, cloudy, no humidity, no wind, a few drops of rain on the bike and run to cool off) and I feel my swim is right where it should be, this was a great race.

Thanks to Mary Elizabeth (who placed 3rd in her division in the Du!), Brooke (who started 5 minutes after me and my goal was to not have her catch me - it was close!!) and Diane (who is now officially a triathlete) for making the race even better.

Ouch

That's how I feel right now. But in a very good way.

It was another 4:30 wake up call. Coffee was made, bagel was toasted, the car was packed and we were off to The Greater Cleveland Triathlon.

We got there nice and early so we could do our packet pickup and make sure our transition areas were set, as this was V's first International distance tri. I am fairly experienced in the world of triathlon, but going into this one, it was more about being with friends. And it showed. I forgot my race chip and swim cap in the car. Somehow I was covered in chain grease already (I blame it on putting on and off bikes in the dark). By the time we started walking to the beach, I figured I should start thinking about the event.

The Swim.
It was wet suit legal, which figures because I left my wet suit back in DC. I had the room, as I drove, but was informed that it had been so hot out, the wet suit wouldn't be allowed. Oh well. We had to walk the 1200 meters down the beach, as it was a point to point swim, which is just mean. But the swim was okay, all things considered. The swells were pretty bad so I am sure I drank a lot of Lake Erie. And my right goggle keep filling up. It was really REALLY annoying. I was getting passed left and right - an odd feeling for me in a swim. Not a great time, I am sure not a great placement, but all practice is good practice.

The Bike.
The benefit of going into a bike course you don't know is there are a lot of surprises. The bad thing is, I don't do that well. I did look at the elevation and knew there was at least 1 climb, but I was not expecting what I had to go up. Plus, there was a headwind the first part as well as a false flat. What was even more frustrating was the fact that I was getting passed by people on mountain bikes, in cages! I just could not go faster.
My other issue today on the bike, my nutrition was horrible. I didn't drink nearly enough or take in enough calories. I think because I didn't know what was coming, I was afraid to get stuck with a water bottle in my hand and looking up a hill. Or start eating a combo when I could be making up some time going downhill or having a tail wind. I know better, and should have done better. But I think I was around 1 hour 35 minutes. Not horrible, but I think I could have done better.

The Walk.
I don't have any idea the last time I went 6.2 miles. I am guessing Ironman... As well as things have been going for me with the run/walk, it sure wasn't today. Actually, the first 3 miles went really well. I was sticking to my run 1 minute, walk 1 minute and finished the first half faster than my last 5K at this race. However, then the pain in my foot started. And it was bad. Both at the ball of my foot and at 2 of my toes. I wanted to rip off my toe nails! So my run 1 minute, walk 1 minute turned into speed walking, without limping so I didn't throw off my knee or back, for the rest of the race. That is until I saw Merissa and had to run for the pictures. ALWAYS run for the pictures.

So, overall, I can't complain. It was a lot of fun and I am so proud of V.
Back to DC tomorrow and off to Bear, DE to do it all again Saturday.

Swim For (Your) Own Life

Happy 40th to me!! Today was my 40th endurance event. Woot! Well, sort of...

It was Maryland Swim 4 Life day, with the biggest decision being to swim 3 or 4 miles. Yes, there were thunderstorms, but I couldn't control those. With the help of my DC Tri peeps, I decided on 4 miles. We just had to wait for the storms to pass.

Shannon, Carolina and I sat around my car waiting for the race to start. It was raining and very humid, so of course we were fogging up the windows. We were talking about this and that and
Shannon says "Where did this a$$ come from??"
Carolina sat up super fast from her nap in the back to look out the window "Where?!?!?"
Us, laughter. Carolina missed the first part of the conversation and was expecting to see a hot guy, an interesting speedo - nothing. Just funny.
This was followed by a bass boat going by painted with a camouflage design. Shannon, again with the great one liner "That's a nice boat, too bad I can't see it because it's camouflage."
Aaahhh, the humor we have on little sleep before a race.

It looked like the storms cleared during the pre-race meeting; however another bolt of lightning came. Once the Coast Guard cleared the river, we turned in our timing chips and decided to call it a day. However, it cleared up quickly and the race director decided to shorten the swim to a 1 or 2 mile swim. After some prodding, Carolina and I ran back to get our chips, and I was in the water.

The first 0.5 mile, 18 minutes. Not too bad, as I was going into the current. The second 0.5 mile took FOREVER! The rain started, I was getting passed by all the 3 milers - who had yellow caps, the same color as the buoys. That meant it was even harder to sight. Boo! Total 1 mile time... 42 minutes. That's very slow for me.
After the turn around, the next 0.5 miles, 11 minutes. And my over all finish time: about 1 hour 3 minutes. YAY!

Given the conditions, no wetsuit, and actually having to swim for my life (for fear of swimming in a river with thunderstorms in the area...), it was a fun day for a great cause.


AND, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN!!

Woot!!

Yay Me!! Today was an event I really needed, and I am very happy with the results.

Saturday
Tammy and I made it down to Richmond eventually, there is ALWAYS traffic on I95. We went to packet pick up, got last minute necessities at the bike shop, and checked into the hotel. All of this was right around the time the US started playing Ghana. I missed the first goal, and rushed Tammy (who, bless her heart, didn't really care about the game...) to the room to watch. Once again, bless her heart, she said we could go watch it somewhere. And do you know where the closest place was to watch (with beer of course)? No, not the hotel bar (it wasn't open), but Hooters. Yup, we went there to watch the second half. And I had a beer. And we had sliders and cheesy, bacon tater tots. Nothing screams pre race meal like Hooters! Needless to say, I was crying into my beer, and so was Tammy - but for a different reason. (EDIT - Tammy would like me to mention that there was also bikini car wash going on by the Hooters girls. Thank you Tammy, I am not sure how I forgot that part of the weekend...)

We did some shopping in the local mall, grabbed a quick bit at Panera, and were back at the hotel by 8 - to get ready for bed. Gotta love pre race day activities :-)

Race Day!
I think this was one of the first times I was so early to a race start. Races with 418 people are so nice. Different, low key, enjoyable. And, with a sunrise like this - it had to be a great day!

Swim
We knew the swim was a point to point with a slow current. 500M - sweet, I figured I would be out so fast, even though the water was 87 degrees!!! YUCK!

After treading for about 4 minutes (another props to my water polo days for treading not taking any energy), we were off. I had a good start, drafted for a bit, and finished strong. So that means when I looked at my watch, I was once again, pissed. 10 minutes! REALLY! For 500 meters! Blah! PLUS, there were stairs (which I may or may not have tripped on) and a short distance to jog before the timing mat - so my swim time was 10:55. I can't keep blaming my slow swim times on long courses, but something is going on.
(NOTE - after reviewing the overall results, it was the course. Or the warm water. Or both. I was 85/418)

Bike
Tammy offered to drive me around the bike course, but I said no, I like surprises.
My stomach was a tad upset to start off the bike, so I sipped on some water and munched on a snack, and hoped it wouldn't get any worse.
Overall, I was pretty happy with the bike. I would call it gentle rollers with one climb. I didn't realize it, but apparently I was doing a slow incline up to the turn around, because I flew back. I really wasn't paying too much attention to my time, but was feeling pretty good. It was pretty shaded, no wind. A very nice course.
And my time - 17.1 mph! I PR'ed (personal record) my bike split!!

Run
Well, if you read my previous post, you knew this was the big test. My goal was run a minute, walk a minute the best I could, and try to be under 45 minutes - which would be under 15 min/mile. It started off pretty well, the first mile was on a nice trail with hard sand. And shaded!! In the little subdivision we went through, Malissa passed me (she is a mulit Boston marathoner, so I was just waiting) and gave me a little up lift. After the turn around, I see Tammy from afar. We start doing a slow run, arms wide open, towards each other. This was followed by a slow motion run - with Chariots of Fire playing in my head (and later I found out, Tammy's as well). We had a quick chat about the swim (that it sucked) and continued our on way, but first -
Me "Come on Tammy, CATCH ME"
Tammy "Slow down"
Everyone else - strange looks
Us - hysterical laughter.

The rest of the run continued with my 1:1, and I was happy. I was moving, my right foot hurt only a tad, but nothing compared to what it has in the past.

And my run time - 44:36, 14:21 min/miles. Which for me, and my first run in months, I was really happy.

Overall time, 2:05:10 (and Tammy, about a minute faster :-)

So, I am really happy with the race. There isn't too much I would have done differently. And if I stay pain-free, I think I can slowly build in some running back into my workouts.

Woot!