Race: General Smallwood Olympic
Date: July 7, 2012
Location: General Smallwood State Park, Indian Head, MD 
Race Type: Olympic: 1500 meter bay swim, 24 mi bike, 6.2 mi run
Division: Age Group 45-49
Time: 3:41:58
Place: 134th female; 18th in age group 

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Race Report:
I'm in love with the Setup Events races! That's the first thing I need to say! These folks have got it going on. I'm always impressed by the ease of packet pickup, the way the event is organized, the swag, the post-race food...pretty much everything! I would highly recommend races in this series to anyone!


This race, unfortunately, would not be my best race. I knew it going into the race with temperatures soaring to 104 degrees and a heat index somewhere between OMG and WTH! (i.e. 112 degrees!). Three days earlier I had run the worst (time-wise) 5k in years and my thighs were still yelling at me the night before this race. On top of that, I wanted to treat this race more like a long workout rather than going full guns blazing to the end. I had to focus my mind VERY differently for this race because of that and keep my end-goal A-race in mind.

Swim (1500 Meters): 45:54 - 145th female
Today was a first for me in many ways in the swim. I had my different focus from the beginning of the race but I knew the swim would be a little difficult in that regard.


I started the swim in wave 6 of 7. That is always intimidating to me because I'm always one of the slowest swimmers out there. I knew people in the last wave would catch up to me and I would be one of the very last out of the water. Of course, that is typically never true but it's always my fear - particularly when I'm in one of the last waves. But, my focus on this day would be to stay in Zone 2 (easy pace/breathing) for the entire swim knowing that I would have more energy for the remainder of the race once I got out of the water. I had to not lose focus of Zone 2 even when swimmers in the wave behind me would begin passing me. I was excited, however, when I started passing folks in the waves ahead of me. In my mind it was huge - I wouldn't be last! 


Another first in the swim was the fact I didn't get off course. I tend to do that a lot! I don't always see the buoy's (hello old age eye sight!) and get way off. But, I stayed on course on this day - so much so that I got a little too close to the last buoy and got tangled up in the "anchor" line attached to it. It was the only time I had to stop during the swim.


I had heard "horror" stories about the swim portion of this race before. Mattawoman Bay is known for having an abundance of hydrilla (see pic) and folks had told me about feeling like a swamp monster coming out of the water having to peel hydrilla off their bodies. 

After going through the first two buoys I thought: "Hey, this isn't bad. What's all the hydrilla hype about!" Then, I turned after the third buoy and realized there was hydrilla all around me! It was sometimes tough to muddle through the stuff. It was hitting me in the face, getting stuck on my goggles, I was pulling it out of the water with each stroke. It was just yuck. But, I figured the first 3/4 of the swim was pretty decent so I'd deal with the last 1/4 of the swim muddling through the hydrilla.


T1: 2:48 - 72nd female
As I headed out of the water into T1 I heard lots of cheers from my new tri team - Team Z. It was really refreshing to have such support from a big team like Z. It was a new experience for me. I felt like a pro athlete that everyone knew! LOL


I'm always pretty quick in transition but on this day I took the time to get out of my tri top and put on a t-shirt because I had a sunburn I didn't want to worsen. I was pleased I did this because now my team could see I was one of their own and I would, from this point on, be cheered on by a sea of Team Z green!



Bike (24 mi): 1:26:11 (16.7 mph) 101st female
I was a little surprised by the many rolling hills in this course. I guess that's what I get for having never looked at the course maps. Because of this, my time went up and my mph went way down. That was okay, though. I needed to save my legs for the run so I didn't push anything hard. Plus, again...temps were in the 100's!!!


I took in 1 bottle of water and 1 bottle of Gu Roctane during my ride plus one gel and a small bite of Bonk Breaker (my new favorite). I felt that was probably a little too much fluid for only a 24 mile ride but I wanted to be prepared for the run.


T2: 1:21 - 35th female 
Not much to do here. Finished it pretty quickly with no incidents. 
 
Run (6.2 miles): 1:25:46 (13:49 min/mile)- 153rd female

I knew going into the run it was going to be kinda horrific. So, instead of focusing on how bad I was going to feel, I channeled that into cheering for others. One spectator even commented I had two jobs "racing and being a cheerleader." That was exactly what I was going for! The first mile had a pretty substantial hill and I decided that, instead of killing myself in the first mile I would go ahead and walk that hill. And, since it was in the direct sunlight I think that was a wise choice. 


After the hill, I picked up the pace but then around mile two I started feeling a little dizzy. I did NOT want to DNF (did not finish). I would have CRAWLED across the finish line if I had to but I would NOT DNF! So, I stopped and walked again. This would continue to be my M.O. throughout the remainder of the run. I'd get a little energy, feel dizzy, walk. Get energy, feel dizzy, walk. I ended up walking most of the 10k and would finish with my worst 10k time to date. But, I didn't get carried away in the ambulance, my children still have a mother and I was actually able to run the last (SHADED) mile without incident. I truly think the heat was the cause of my entire problem. My thighs weren't aching (like I anticipated they would be after my 5k run days before) but my body was starting to crash for sure. I was thankful for another 40-something dude to help me out in the last mile and we kept a similar pace to the end...although he picked up the pace when spectators came into view and left me! LOL

Summary and lessons learned 
I may have been completely nuts to have raced in these temperatures. But, being able to say I finished it was refreshing. I definitely had a lot left in my tank by the end of the race but that was really kinda how I wanted to feel. I hydrated like crazy after the race and can say I had no pain/problems that day or the day after. 


I'd love to race another Olympic distance before my Ironman in September only this time in some normal weather conditions just to see how my training is really coming along. 


Zone 2 swims rock! Must do that again! :)

Race Report: BRATS Salute to the Military Tri

Race: BRATS Salute to the Military Triathlon
Date: May 27, 2012
Location: Vint Hill, VA
Race Type: Sprint: 300 meter pool swim, 11.75 mi bike, 3.1 mi run
Division: Age Group 45-49
Time: 1:22:02
Place: 2nd in Age Group

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Race Report:


I've got to tell you - this is such a great little race. Each year the race directors recognize all the military members (serving or served) at the awards ceremony. It's one of the most touching parts of the whole race event. Each year the group recognized gets bigger and bigger. Soon there won't be enough space under the gazebo for them all! 

The race is very well organized, has both adult and youth races, and a great course. The course is a pool swim, rolling hills on the bike and a pretty flat (in the sun) run. I would highly recommend this race to anyone (except those in my age group that are faster than me - you can just stay home for this one!). :)


Disclaimer: Two days prior to this event I came down with a really bad cold/flu. I had gone to sleep two nights in a row with Niquil and was dizzy and light-headed (more than normal!) for those two days. I was just thankful to be able to get out and race this one - let alone do so well. 


I love the promptness of the race timers! My results had already been sent to my email before I made it home. A few stats on the day: The weather was sunny, 75 degrees F, 83% humidity, SSW wind of 8 mph. My overall finish place was 71st, my gender finish place was 13th, and, of course, my age group place was 2nd. Pretty happy with that!



Swim (300 Meters): 7:10 (2 seconds slower than last year) - 1st in age group
 
They say that you can win or lose a race based on your swim times. Well, even though I still feel slow, I guess being 1st in my age group makes that comment a little untrue. I think I would have beat my time last year had there not been an issue with seeding of swimmers. There were three guys behind me that ended up passing me and they weren't very nice about it. I never felt a tap on my foot or anything so I didn't even realize they were coming up behind me. But, having to let them go when we reached the wall made me 2 second + slower.
 
T1: 1:52 - (19 seconds slower than last year) 1st in age group
I'm always pretty quick in transition and T1 was no exception when it came to the rankings. HOWEVER, I had several issues in T1 this time (including my race belt getting caught in my tire) so I feel I could have made up some really good time here.

Bike (11.75 mi): 42:44 (1:07 slower than last year) @ 16.5 mph - 2nd in age group

I was very disappointed in this result. Since this race last year I feel I have gotten considerably stronger than last year on the bike. Today I blame my slowness on two things: 1) I had to blow a LOT of snot rockets (yep, I do that) because I've been sick for the past few days. 2) There were three times I had to slow down to wipe salty sweat out of my eyes. I literally couldn't see anything. I'm not sure what happened here because that has never happened to me before. Maybe I need to sunglasses or a new helmet or something to hold in the sweat. Don't know. But, I feel this is what slowed me down today. I also had a little birdie in the back of my mind saying "don't give everything on the bike today because you want to save something for the run." I'm glad I listened to that birdie.


I've not had the fastest pace on this course before because of the rolling hills but, more importantly, because of the 4 tight U-turns on the course. I can't wait to do a race where no U-turns are required to see what kind of pace I can hold.

T2: 0:46:00 (0:03:05 faster than last year) - 4th place in age group 
Could have gotten on my shoes a little faster and saved a few more seconds here. 
 
Run (3.1 miles): 29:28 (9:30 min/mile pace) (10 seconds faster than last year) - 7th place in age group

Although I was VERY pleased with my personal result, this is what stopped me from winning first place (again!) in my age group. I've really got to work on getting faster on the run and that means two things: 1) weight loss and 2) speed work. Not sure I'm ready for either of those but...I've gotta do what I've gotta do if I want to win 1st place!

Summary and lessons learned 

This is the third time I have raced this course. The first time I raced was in 2009 and I ended up coming in 3rd place in my age group. The second year, 2011, I also placed 3rd. This year I wanted to grab that 1st place age group really bad. But, having been sick for two days I was just thrilled to have made it across the finish line. I knew my friend Amy was on the course today and knew she was both a really strong biker and runner and, sure enough, she got 1st! I'm very proud of her!!! 

Today was no personal record but I'm one step closer to that 1st place trophy! It's a great way to start the tri season for sure! 

I need to remember that when I race a sprint I need to leave everything out there in EVERY sport. I shouldn't have held back on the bike. I should have just pressed on. I should have read my race report from last year that told me that EVERY SECOND COUNTS - particularly in a sprint! Lesson learned. 

Race Report: Flying Pig Marathon

Race: Flying Pig Marathon
Date: Sunday, May 6, 2012
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Race Type: Full Marathon
Division: 45-49 yo
Overall Place: 3162
Division Place: 105
Female Place: 1153
Time: 5:19

The Pre-race report Summary:

For those of you that just want the short version of this race report here it is: I had a decent, but not great, race. I didn't meet my personal goal but I did set a personal record by 19 minutes from my last marathon and almost 1 hour better than my first marathon in 2004! The Flying Pig is a really good race with decent crowd support, great swag, and a pretty challenging, hilly course.

For those of you that want to know the whole story or just enjoy punishing yourself by reading someone else's race report then the rest of this story is for you. Grab a cup of coffee, put your feet up and continue reading...

Before the Race:


A few days before this race there were a lot of things going through my head. First and foremost was the fact that my hamstring was super duper tight. I had been to yoga class on Wednesday and my instructor sent me home with some great stretches which I did at least twice a day, if not more. It helped, for sure, but my hamstring in my right leg still wasn't 100% going into this race.


The second thing on my mind was the weather forecast for race day. Race officials were giving people the option to delay their race until next year if they chose to do so. I figured it couldn't be worse than my first year running the Marine Corps Marathon (high 80's by the time I finished) so I continued through with my plan.


The last thing on my mind was the fact that I drove the race course on Friday night and saw the big hills that I would have to run. I mean, I knew Cincinnati had some rolling hills but I thought for sure they would compare to the rolling hills in VA and thought I'd be okay. As it turns out there were several significant hills in the race (I'll get to those later). But, like the weather, I knew I had run in worse. Remember the hills at the Jerusalem Marathon?


I went to the Expo on Friday afternoon around the time it first opened. There were quite a few others there at the time but the lines were minimal (except the line where Proctor & Gamble was giving out free stuff!). They had great swag for a marathon including a duffel bag!

And a cute poster I will probably never find the time to frame and hang

All in all the expo was pretty rockin and it took us more time to find a parking spot in Cincinnati and walk to the expo than it did to actually attend the expo.

The Race:

After my 4:15 a.m. alarm, I hopped out of bed, got dressed, had breakfast and was out the door in about 25 minutes. Only one problem...one of the bottles on my race belt seemed to be leaking a little. So, I held it up and used my left hand to try to check it...proceeding to spill the coffee in my left hand all over my lap! UGH! That's what I get for getting up at 4:15 am! Yes, it was hot. VERY HOT! But, thankfully I hadn't left the house yet and was able to go back inside to get a towel to dry off. I continued on to the race with wet clothes but there was no sense in changing them because they would only get more wet (aka SWEATY) throughout the day. And, hey, having a coffee smell hanging with me all day wasn't all that bad!

I was interested to see how this race compared with the others I had done. I've run the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) three times, Shamrock Marathon (VA Beach) once and the Jerusalem Marathon. Now, at the MCM the field is around 30,000 runners and about 20,000 are there for the marathon. The Flying Pig also has a field of 30,000 runners but these are spread out among several different races and the marathon actually only had about 4,000 runners. It "felt" bigger than 4,000 because the start line was both marathon and half marathon participants. You could tell a noticeable difference in the field around mile 9 when the (almost 11,000) half marathon participants split off from the rest of us.

So...the course...

Okay, here is what I remember...(because, you know...you get all delusional and stuff when you run a marathon and you tend to forget stuff!!)

The first few miles were gorgeous...the 15,000 participants all running across the bridge from Cincinnati into KY! Of course, as a KY girl it was cool to run "part" of my marathon in my home state - something I never done before. Of course, I hope to remedy that next year but running the KY Derby Marathon (or the mini...aka half...marathon).

The spectators, for the most part, were great. I was surprised, however, to see SOME streets lined with people and nobody saying a word! I mean, I know most are there to cheer for one individual but, hey, we're all out there working hard - cheer for us all! So, there were times I (yeah, I'm not shy...) had to say "HEY SPECTATORS....GIVE US A CHEER!" or "WE LOVE YOU, SPECTATORS" (to which they responded appropriately with "WE LOVE YOU....RACE HARD...FINISH STRONG...etc.). The folks running around me were all in agreement with getting the crowd going but none of them were about to say anything. I guess that puts me in the category with the "crazy coach" who goes around making a fool of himself/herself. Um...yep!

So, mile 6 of this race is where things started to get interesting...

Mile 6 is where the road started heading up toward Mt. Adams. MOUNT...Adams...Yep...the name says it all. For 2.5 miles the road went up...and up...and up... I didn't even realize Cincinnati had hills like this! Prior to the race I had driven most of the race course and then read this article. Knowing this section was going to be a challenge was a good pre-race strategy. I knew the moment I saw the "Norman Romanesque mini castle" I had to get past some very big obstacles in my mind. I had to a) slow down my pace but b) not walk at ALL going up this hill. It was tough. REALLY tough. I slowed my pace and was determined not to walk but what I wasn't expecting was...just after passing the singing Elvis dude...I got my first CRAMP in my leg. NOT my hammy...but calf! WHAT? That kinda came out of the blue. BUT...I didn't walk! I stepped a little differently and slowed down my pace for a few seconds but I didn't stop to walk. I mean, c'mon...I'm only at mile 6...I'm blaming Elvis on this one.

Once I made it up to the highest point of the race, the rest of the race was a "NET" downhill as you can see from this elevation chart! Of course, just because it's a "net" downhill does NOT mean there won't be more UPHILL climbs (more on that later...).

From mile 8.5 - 17.5 it was pretty much uneventful in my race. I started to feel a little pain in the bottom of both feet but wasn't sure what it was for a long time (more on that later). I met some people along the course, tried to encourage others to keep moving when they started to walk, sang some songs with local bands that were playing as I ran by, saw some really funny signs, etc. Now, this is where I have to stop and mention some of the signs. With this being my 6th marathon I thought I had seen just about every sign there is to see. But, Cincinnati had some very unique signs:

• Run hard but...Don't poop yer pants!
• RUN! There is a Zombie behind you.
• Free High Five Guy (Yep, I got one of those!)
• Worst Parade Ever (I've seen this before but next time I'm bringing candy to throw at the person holding this sign!).
• My wife is a Pig (I told him he would probably have to sleep on the sofa for that one)
• Pretend that a bear is chasing you (this didn't really help me move any faster...)
• There is bacon at the finish line...and beer (this was a lie!)

But, my all-time favorite was the one this girl was holding. She looked like she had a horrific hangover...and her sign said:

• "You make this Cinco de Mayo Hangover feel like a walk in the park! Ole!"

Okay, so back to the race...you might want to pause here and go get a second cup of coffee. I'll wait...

Waiting....waiting...waiting...

Alrighty then...mile 17.5...there was a small, but horribly steep, hill! And, for the first time in the race I decided it was time to take a short little walk up the hill. If my calves hadn't been on again/off again cramping I might have run this hill but I still had several more miles to go and I didn't want it to end here. So, for about 30 seconds I walked.

Mile 18 I stopped to see my dad, Cherie (his finance) and my daughter who were there waiting for me and cheering me on. I thought I had stopped for a little longer than I did but when I was shown the video that Cherie took of me I realized I had just enough time to hug my daughter and tell Cherie and my dad that they would probably have to meet me in the medical tent at the finish line because I thought I might have blisters on the bottom of my feet! Then...I was off...

Mile 19-20.5 were bad. REALLY bad. First, this portion of the race is a very lonely spot. You basically run on the shoulder of a 4-lane road and there are maybe 5 people in the whole stretch of this road to cheer you on. You know - only those people who KNOW you are going to be in pain at this point - as if they have experienced it before! This is where the sun begins to be directly overhead and hardly any shade is to be found from here to the end of the race. Anyway, it was during this 1.5 miles that I lost it. First, I knew I was hitting "the wall" from a physical standpoint. I started walking then running then walking again. Then I had thoughts of getting a DNF ("Did Not Finish") and then the emotions started to come to me like they never have before. Yeah, I've cried at the end of a race...at the finish line...because I was so excited to have the accomplishment under my belt. But this time the tears weren't about that. I couldn't get that DNF out of my mind. The personal goals that I had set out for myself in this race weren't going to be met and I knew it by this point. That made me cry even more. Then I realized...HEY STUPID! YOU ARE HITTING THE WALL!!! SNAP OUT OF IT! Who CARES if I don't make my goal. This wasn't my "A race" and even if it were WHO CARES! I had unusual circumstances with the cramping so early, the bottom of my feet with blisters, and the 80 degree heat with 53% humidity. Just finishing this race would be a huge accomplishment and I needed to SNAP OUT OF IT! So, I dried off the tears (not before several people had seen me and a medic asked if I needed help, though) and kept plugging on. The one thing that really kept me going was that I wanted my daughter to see me at the finish line and know that mommy didn't give up! She'll never understand just how much I wanted to give up (until she becomes a marathoner herself in the future...and she will...) but I needed to do this to set an example to her and my son (even though he wasn't able to be there). NEVER.GIVE.UP!!!

So, the last 6 miles...in the sun...were tough. But, I got through them and, as I crossed the finish line (with 26.55 miles on my Garmin) I had done it! Oh...pardon me...it was the FINISH SWINE! (Pig talk, get it?).

As soon as I could I found the medical tent because my legs were in need of some BioFreeze and I wanted someone to look at the bottom of my feet. Well, as soon as they asked me to sit down everything started spinning. As it turned out, I not only needed to be treated for the cramping and blisters but also for a mild case of dehydration.

About 10 minutes later I was up and out of the medic tent and headed home.

Summary and Lessons Learned:


All in all this was a really great race. Well organized, great swag, challenging course, etc. Two thumbs up!

I need to talk to my friends at Potomac River Running about the blisters on my feet issue. I hadn't bought my last pair of shoes at PR because they were out of my size and my old pair needed to be taken out of the rotation immediately. So, I purchased some shoes online and that may have aided to my blisters. Lesson learned: Always buy from a reputable RUNNING SHOE store!

My next marathon will be coming up in September...as the final leg of my first Ironman! But, my next race coming up is the Mother's Day 4 Miler on Sunday, May 13th and then my first triathlon of the season - BRATS Salute to the Military Tri on May 27th. 

Until then...keep running strong and NEVER, EVER give up!

Race Report: Rock & Roll Half - DC

Race: Rock & Roll Half Marathon - DC
Date: Saturday, March 17, 2012
Location: Washington, DC
Race Type: Half Marathon
Division: 45-49 yo
Overall Place: 7638 out of 16321 (top 46%)
Division Place: 225 out of 720 (top 31%)
Female Place: 4153 out of 10725 (top 38%)
Time: 2:10:54

Before the Race:


Okay, the day before this race I had to drive into DC, find a place to park at the DC Armory and get my race packet. I thought to myself "NO PROBLEM!" I've done this before (a la Marine Corps Marathon) I can do it again!


First things first - the drive into DC was horrific! My GPS drove me right through the middle of town and with our unseasonably warm weather many tourists were out looking at the Cherry Blossoms already and I had to wait...and wait...and wait. (FYI: I'm not the most patient person in the world...not even close!).


I get to the Armory and I'm looking around at the people walking in and out of the Armory. Some seem to be going across the street to get into their cars. And, like my MCM packet pickup, that made sense. So, I attempted to make a left-hand turn only to be IMMEDIATELY YELLED AT by DC Metro Police! The dude didn't even give me time to explain myself and when I asked where I needed to park for packet pickup he only continued to yell at me.

My day wasn't really going well already. Didn't this guy know that???

I drove around the Armory (because it was the only direction that seemingly didn't put me back on the Interstate) only to find myself in the same spot, by the same policeman. Another way more friendly gentleman motioned to me and I pulled up to him. He told me exactly where I needed to go - Lot 8. Now, for those who don't know - Lot 8 is about 1/2 mile away from where I needed to be so I thought for sure that couldn't be right. But, alas - Lot 8 was the parking area for packet pickup. For me it wasn't that big of a deal (except for the fact that it was just making my bad day worse) but for my 6 yr old who didn't really have on "walking shoes" it was quite a pain...which then became MY pain having to listen to "mom, my feet really hurt" a few hundred times!

As I approached the traffic signal I could tell the policeman (yes, the same one) was getting ready to let the cars have their turn so I slowed and then stopped at the crosswalk. Before I even had a chance to breathe the policeman yelled at me AGAIN saying "STOP, DON'T GO ACROSS THE CROSSWALK!" Seriously? I wasn't even PLANNING to go! Man, all I have to say is this man really needed a vacation!!! I just wanted to get in and out of this packet pickup and start heading back home!

Once I got inside I quickly got the race information and started to head out but my mini me saw shiny things, flashy things, things that spun around, things she wanted to do...all while her feet were hurting! So, I quickly bought a pair of (way overpriced) socks for my 6 yr old and we headed through the expo without her shoes on!

Just before leaving we were getting ready to head to the little girls room (knowing you must ALWAYS do this before a trip back home) when we were YELLED AT...AGAIN by someone saying "THIS ISN'T AN EXIT!" Of course, I wasn't going out the entrance but the bathrooms were in the same direction so I explained myself and was "allowed" to pass!

Anyway, suffice it to say packet pickup was a bust and I wasn't sure at this point if I even wanted to run the race. I had never had such a headache from packet pickup than I had at this race. But, at least Celeste got her picture taken in front of the finish line tape!

Race Morning:

I changed up my race-day nutrition a bit to see how things might go for future longer races. So, I had some yogurt with fresh fruit and some granola. It settled well during the race. 

I got up at the crack of dawn and met my friend Souk Rios at my house at 5:15 AM and headed to the metro. Once at East Falls Church I ran into some other running/triathlon friends and we all headed down to DC. Souk and I made a tactical error by not grabbing a seat on the metro. Little did we know we would end up as sardines within the first 4 stops! 

Once we made it to the Stadium-Armory metro stop, getting out of the station was a TON of fun:

 The Race

I couldn't believe how far up I was in the start corrals. I was in corral #8 and all my friends were in like #13, #20, etc. I mean, I obviously was delusional when I put down a finish time of 1:59 but even my friend Lisa put down a 2:00 finish time and was several corrals behind me. Oh well, it'll give me a head start on all my friends who'll probably pass me in the race. I'd rather be left behind than to have to come up FROM behind.

The gun went off for my corral and I started out strong. Maybe even too strong. I knew the first mile had a gradual uphill climb so having a 9:20 pace might have been a little too fast. The next couple of miles were somewhat downhill so keeping that pace didn't bother me. However, around mile 6'ish Rock & Roll DC happened to find one of the five hills in DC and insert it into this race! I couldn't help it - I had to walk. I figured my earlier faster pace would make up for the 20-30 seconds I was getting ready to walk so I just did it. I hadn't walked or stopped at any of the water stops throughout the entire race (and I wouldn't need to since I was carrying my fuel belt) so I just used this as my own personal "stop and walk at the water stop" moment. 

Here's a look at the course elevation:

I had looked at this elevation profile prior to the race but it didn't look near as bad as it felt. As a matter of fact, the two times I stopped to walk were the EXACT moment my friends decided to pass me. Lisa Mackem on the first hill and Cindy Revesman on the second. Believe me ladies, I did actually RUN this race!


Most of the race (even at mile 1) my Garmin seemed to be a little faster than the actual course so that was a concern of mine - particularly as I neared the end of the race. My goal was to run 13.1 miles in 2:06. Well, at the finish line my Garmin said I had run 13.44 miles in 2:10 but when I hit 13.1 miles I was at 2:07 so, either way I was close to my goal and it was still a PR since my last half marathon (Nov 2010) was 2:15!


Summary and Lessons Learned:


Like most Rock & Roll organized events this one had great bands, lots of crowd support and good post-race food. 

In the end I had no pain (to speak of) but I felt I had run hard and done a pretty decent job. Of course, I could have ran up those two hills and probably would have made my 2:06 time but, to be honest, this wasn't my "A" race so I didn't want to push it too much harder. I was proud of this accomplishment and hope the hills on this course (along with the hills in my training) will have prepared me for the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati in May (my next big race of the year).

Next race up: Cherry Blossom 10 Miler - April 1

Have REAL PEACE at Christmas

To all my friends:

I wish you PEACE in this season and through the coming year.

As I connect with each of you I have come to realize many of you don't have peace right now:

*You have a house full of people driving you crazy
*You don't have money in this economy to even THINK about having a good holiday
*You are missing loved ones that have passed away
*Your heart is breaking over a loss
*You've lost your job or fear you will soon
*People don't treat you as an equal because you are "different"
*You're being bullied or abused
*You or someone you care about has been diagnosed with a sickness
*You have an addiction that you just can't break
*You look in the mirror and you don't like what you see

...the list goes on and on...

What is REAL PEACE? I don't think it's found by having/not having these things. I've gone through most of these things in my life but I continue to have PEACE - REAL PEACE in my life even at my worst times. Why? Because I have a faith in Jesus - the "PRINCE OF PEACE" (Isaiah 9:6). The peace of God "passes all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Jesus said "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14: 27).

Peace is internal (not depending on external circumstances) and it requires our participation. We receive true peace when we know that our sin is forgiven and that all is well with our soul (Acts 2: 38, 1 John 1: 7). So, even though these external circumstances will happen, we can have inward peace by "following after the things which make for peace." (Romans 14:19). Peace is available through Jesus Christ alone. Don't be sold a bill of goods by "false peace" (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

REAL PEACE can be yours!

MERRY PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

Patriots 70.3 Race Report

Race: Patriots 70.3
Date: Saturday, September 10, 2011
Location: Williamsburg, VA
Race Type: Triathlon - Half Ironman Distance
Division: 45-49 yo
Place: 10th in AG/124 OA
Time: 7:09:39

Before the Race:


The day before the race, Molly and I drove to Williamsburg to prepare for the event. My friend Jan's parents invited us to stay at their house only 4 miles from the race venue so it was a perfect little "B&B" for us!  After a quick packet pickup we walked around the race venue to check out the course. We spent a little time down by the water trying to understand the very unusual setup of the swim course and a weird 0.4 mile transition into T1 so we knew we needed to come up with a plan. There would be no barefoot running to T1 and thankfully I had brought a second pair of running shoes with me. 

 Dipping my toes in the James River the day before the race...nice...and warm...

probably not wetsuit legal (I was right!)

  Part of the James River - our swim course. It was a very nice body of water for a swim.

Our trip to Williamsburg had been delayed and our timing for dinner wasn't that great so we ended up not getting the opportunity to drive the bike course. That's okay because I had decided this was going to be a race to "just finish" after having some cramping in my legs the whole week before the race and some pretty stiff tightness in my back.

Race Morning:

Race morning went pretty well and I had a good amount of sleep the night before. We drove to the race and started our journey to the finish line. Once we got there we unloaded our bikes, in the dark, from the car. We had a decent amount of time to set up transition, say hello to our teammates and fellow training partners Sandy, Renee, and Mayra and then we all headed down to the swim start. As a photographer I am ashamed of myself for not getting a quick picture of all of us. SHAME.ON.ME!!!

Unfortunately, our plans to have our shoes at the swim finish hadn't transpired so we all (minus Sandy) quickly walked over to the finish to leave our shoes there. We came back, got in the water for a minute and then we heard "green swim caps will be next!" Um...we were all green swim caps (except Sandy who started in the wave before us and was already out in the water) so we took off running and almost missed our entrance into the James River! Whew! Not the best way to start a race!


Swim: 1:00:27 (14th in AG)



This was NOT the time I had hoped for in this race. Yes, I'm a slow swimmer but I am not this slow. Here's what happened...the day before the race we went to the race meeting and the guy told us that if we weren't strong swimmers we should go to the left of the buoy because the current would take us to the right. If we swam straight out to the buoy and ended up on the right side we would have to swim against the current in order to get back on course. When I heard "strong" swimmer I was thinking "good" swimmer. Fact of the matter is, I'm a strong swimmer - just not a fast one. So, when I headed out, I went to the left (away from the buoy) rather than directly to the buoy. This was the biggest mistake of my day because I ended up swimming much farther than I needed. When I compared this swim to previous swims here is what I found:

Eagleman: 1:01:16 (my first 70.3 but this course was also said to be 1.5 miles instead of 1.2)
OBX: 51:09 (my second 70.3 and in my OBX race report I noted I wasn't thrilled with this result)
Patriots: 1:00:27



Another issue I had during the swim was that I felt I was going to throw up twice. I've never had that feeling before but it made me have to stop swimming for a moment. This throwing up feeling would come back to haunt me later on. The good news about this swim is that when I got out of the water I didn't have the light-headed feeling I've had in past races. I felt pretty good about that but wasn't sure why it wasn't there (or why it WAS there in previous races).


T1: 5:21 (3rd in AG):


When people talk about which portion of the race they are fastest in some will say "Oh, I'm a better runner" or "I'm a better biker." Well, I have to say that my strength is probably in transitions. I'm almost always in the top 5 finishers in transition. Typically my T1 will be closer to 2:00 - 2:30 but because of the run (approx 0.4 miles) up the hill my transition time was a little longer than normal. 


Bike: 3:11:09 (18.3 pace; 9th in AG):


The first 5-10 miles of the bike were slower than I expected. There were times I was literally saying out loud "COME ON LEGS, LET'S GO!" I felt like I was standing still. But, after a few miles into the bike I finally got moving. I didn't let one single girl pass me on the bike...until mile 57...yes, I said 57...this was a 58 mile bike course. 


Around mile 55 there was a dude drafting off me. But, not only was he drafting but he was chatting with me as well. I tried to ignore him but he was asking me leading questions and I didn't want to ignore him. However, when I saw two girls pass me I was DONE talking to that dude. I was mad at myself for allowing him to take my mind off the race. So, I sped up and caught back up with one of the girls but I could never find the other to pass her again. 


My nutrition on the bike might have thrown me off for my run (more about that later) but I really wanted to focus on my water intake because I've been having a lot of leg cramps on the run lately and wanted to make sure hydration didn't play a role in that. Good news: I didn't get leg cramps. Bad news: read my run report. 

My new bike, Shadow, was with me on my trip. I had only purchased her the week before the race and had only been on her three times. But, because I was going to "just finish" I figured it wouldn't hurt to bring Shadow along for the ride even though she wasn't really broken in yet.


Shadow did her job right. I felt pretty good coming off the bike and was moderately pleased with my bike results.


Eagleman: 3:13 (17.4 mph) for 56 miles - super flat course
OBX: 3:20:01 (16.8 mph) for 56 miles (some of it VERY windy)
Patriots: 3:11:09 (18.3 mph) for 58 miles - some rolling hills

T2: 2:19 (5th in AG):

Uneventful with the exception that I almost fell over putting my socks on...twice!


Run: 2:50:25 (13th in AG):

The run....oh...the run... 


I've been pretty excited about the improvement of my pace since my weight loss. I've gone from an average of about a 10:30/mile pace to an 8:30/mile pace.But, on this day I wouldn't see anywhere close to that. The first few miles made me realize I hadn't done enough BRICK training this year. I knew I'd get my mojo after the first few miles but, unfortunately that never happened. I was having GI issues. 


I haven't been able to figure out exactly what happened - was it the food I ate the night before, the morning of, did I take in too much nutrition on the bike, too much water? I am still not quite sure. But, all I knew was that if I could just throw up I will feel a lot better and hopefully be able to get back up to an acceptable pace. So, when I saw a port-a-potty I knew what I had to do. Unfortunately, I couldn't even MAKE myself throw up. So, I suffered through more of the run. Then around mile 7, I miraculously felt better. I picked up my pace and started really running...only to have the GI issues come back around mile 10. Ugh!

As a side note - this is the first time ever in any race that I've had to stop at a port-a-potty. That in and of itself wasted about 4 minutes of my time! Grrrr.....


In my mind I wanted to finish this race in under 7 hours. So, I quickly calculated that I had a one-hour swim, 3 (and some change) bike, so if I finished the run in under 3 hours I'd be good. Unfortunately I didn't take into account the transition times until I was only 2 miles from the finish line so my calculations were off a little. Oh well, it was too late to be concerned about that at this point. I just kept running until I saw the finish line and, when I crossed I knew it was a PR!


My previous run times look like this:


Eagleman: 3:11:06 - SUPER STINKIN HOT (did a LOT of walking)
OBX: 2:56:07 - Didn't walk at all but wasn't super fast and didn't have a lot of energy
Patriots: 2:50:25 - GI issues. Whatever!


Post Race:


I felt really yucky and wanted to leave. I was barely able to say goodbye to my friends before heading out. I was probably out of transition and in the car within 30 minutes of my finish. 

I am very thankful that God has allowed me to stay healthy and injury-free during my training season this year - that's huge!

Comparing the previous races:
Eagleman: 2nd place Athena: 7:31:18 (it was Athena...)
OBX: 1st place AG: 7:11 (the race only had 33 people...)
Patriots: 10th place AG: 7:09:39 with two additional bike miles.


So, my PR wasn't as big a gap as I had originally thought it was but it is still a PR nonetheless....and on a 2-mile longer bike course. Next goal...BELOW 7:00...try to shoot below 6:30.

Lessons Learned:


1. More open water swims (I say this in every OWS race report!)
2. Really focus on getting faster on my swim over the winter
3. More BRICKS
4. More track workouts
5. Have a nutrition plan. I plan for everything else but I really need to write down exactly what I'm going to have with me - no more, no less.