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Kimber, what's a cadence sensor?
Don, you're not getting any one in trouble, but if I can get a RR out of Kimber by going to another site I'll sure be there
We are very impatient here Ms. K! Glad you didn't drown! Did you get a trophy for being second in your age division? That's cool, even if it was because there were only two of you!And Don, I forgot, with the sugar thing... I didn't really intend to stop eating processed flour and stuff like that, but in order to cut out sugar I've pretty much had to go back to basics. Almost anything that is premade/packaged that you can buy in the stores has got sugar of one form or another in it. The only thing that I've been able to eat that comes in a box is shredded wheat. It's going better than it was at first, I'm getting more used to it. I cut out caffeine back when I started running, so all I drink now is milk and water. I will occasionally add juice to the water just to give it a little flavor. I drink Nuun too. I'm okay up to about 10 miles on water and Nuun, but after that I'll have to start eating something with sugar in it again or risk serious bonking. I was so inexperienced when I did my half that I didn't realize that was what had happened at mile 12. If I had eaten the GU I grabbed at mile 7 I probably would have done much better (and drunk more water!).
YAY Kimber - Second Place!! Seriously - way to go!!
Nico - You're kickin' butt!
I probably won't run on the beach (b/c of the risk of jacking myself up), but the road goes right along the beach, so it will feel like it.
I actually go lurk on the board where all the old Clubhouse folks went. CH was a guilty secret of mine. Those guys KILLED me and made me laugh like crazy. Also, I learned so much about non-running stuff!
Oops! Sorry, mdv. Now that you mention it, I do remember you said you were covering for a coworker. My bad.
Sounds like you've got some good stuff coming up. I'll be keeping an eye out for your race report for the 16th.
I haven't decided what I'm doing today with respect to my workout. I'm feeling better (sore throat's pretty much gone), but I don't want to push too hard and get myself sick again right away. Will post again later.
Don
Don't fret, Susie. It'll be a little tough at the beginning, but with a little persistence you'll get in the groove quickly. I don't know if you've looked into the podcasts or anything like that. They're very helpful. You can find links to various podcasts (I used Robert Ullrey's c25k podcasts myself) at: http://c25k.com.
We're generally pretty averse to starting new threads -- seems like we have some attrition every time we make the jump. Last time we started a new thread we were up around (maybe slightly above) 500 replies. I guess we're creatures of habit.
I decided to take it easy this morning (read: hang out with my rabbit) so I'll see how I'm feeling after work. I'd like to get something in today. My options are: (a) speed work, (b) tempo run, (c) cross-train, since my cadence sensor arrived yesterday, and (d) more rest. I'm inclined to do some biking with an easy run.
Nico - a cadence sensor keeps track of how many pedal revolutions you've made while biking. Lots of workouts specify both resistance and cadence, so it's important to be able to track cadence while biking. For cross-training purposes, high cadence on bike workouts can translate to more rapid foot turnover while running, which would then improve speed.
Don
Yay! Kimber race report! I'm actually gonna pop some popcorn (real stuff, not the microwave stuff -- I don't have a microwave) to read this when I get home.
I've had good success with copy/paste using the right-click method (click in the text window, right-click, then select paste). Otherwise, I'd suggest copy/paste from Word to Notepad, then copy/paste from Notepad to Active. That should clean out any weird formatting associated with Word.
Yeah, I'm definitely overtrained. That, I think, is the source of my head-cold/sore throat and general ambivalence about getting out the door. I'm taking it a little easy this week, focusing mainly on the long run because I need to build my endurance. Speed is a massive non-concern right now.
Anyway, good luck with posting the RR. I can't wait!
edited to add: glad to hear Garmin's doing right by you. I'm looking forward to trying out my cadence sensor.
Don
I've had good success with copy/paste using the right-click method (click in the text window, right-click, then select paste). Otherwise, I'd suggest copy/paste from Word to Notepad, then copy/paste from Notepad to Active. That should clean out any weird formatting associated with Word.
Yeah, I'm definitely overtrained. That, I think, is the source of my head-cold/sore throat and general ambivalence about getting out the door. I'm taking it a little easy this week, focusing mainly on the long run because I need to build my endurance. Speed is a massive non-concern right now.
Anyway, good luck with posting the RR. I can't wait!
edited to add: glad to hear Garmin's doing right by you. I'm looking forward to trying out my cadence sensor.
Don
Ok, let's see if this works.
Race Report -
Huntington's Disease Sprint Triathlon, Key Biscayne, Florida
This is probably the longest RR ever written. Please don't feel obligated to read it all.
The short -
400 yd swim, 13 mile bike, 3 mile run
1:58:18 OA 109 /113 Female 32/34
_
swim 19:39 OA 112/113 Female 33/34
__
T1 6:00 OA 104/113 Female 32/34
__
bike 51:59 15.0 mph OA 98/113 Female 28/34
__
T2 1:55 OA 99/113 Female 34/34
__
Run 37:47 12:35 pace OA 110/113 Female 31/34
_
_
Prologue -
_
As I'm sure you remember, I did my first triathlon July 4^th^. I was very disappointed in my performance, especially the swim. It took me a week or so to gain some perspective. As the weeks have gone by, I became more and more unsure of myself. I continued training but I didn't sign up for another race. I knew I needed to race soon or I probably wouldn't do it again. I was hoping to race mid-August but there were no suitable races. They were all 600 yd swims and I wasn't going to attempt 600 yds when I had failed so miserably at 400 yds. So last week I was looking all over Florida for a race to enter. The only one that met my time frame and distance was the one on Sunday, August 3^rd^. I really wasn't ready to race this soon. I knew this course as I'd watched a race in June. The swim was an ocean swim but it appeared to be a fairly calm area. My main concern was the HUGE bridge. My biking has all been on flat, flat Florida terrain. I'd been over 1 short draw-bridge. But nothing like the [url= http://www.southeastroads.com/florida900/fl-913_nb_rickenbacker_causeway_07.jpgRickenbacker[/url][url]= http://www.southeastroads.com/florida900/fl-913_nb_rickenbacker_causeway_06.jpg]Causeway.[/url]] But I made the decision to enter the race anyway. I registered for it on Thursday, July 31^st^. I didn't tell anyone. I wasn't even going to tell Sheldon. I figured if I failed miserably, no one would be the wiser.
This race had one huge advantage. There was both a sprint and an international distance. This meant that I would not be the last person to finish!! I figured I might be able to beat one or two people across the finish line since they were racing twice as far. It is a very lonely feeling racing alone. You start wondering why you're even out there. Everyone else has gone home, there is no food left, the volunteers have packed up the water..................it just sucks. So by entering the combination sprint/international, I had a huge sense of relief. I did not have that pressure of being DFL. I also went to this race alone. I didn't have to worry about not meeting someone else's expectations or worry that my DH was ready to go home long before I finished.
The race site is 2.5 hours from my house. Transition closed at 6:30am. If I went down race day I would have had to pick up my packet that morning. Which meant being at the race site by 5:00 am. Which meant leaving the house at 2:30 am. Which meant getting up at 1:30 am. Well, there was no way in **** I was going to do that. I might have gotten down there and raced but I never would have been able to drive myself home. So I did the obvious thing. I booked a motel room 9 miles from the race site.
Saturday arrived and I packed up all my stuff for the race and for spending a night away from home. That's a lot of stuff to remember! Of course I didn't remember everything. But I did remember everything for the race. I left for Miami around noon. I went to the race site and picked up my packet. And then I went for a swim. I was determined to conquer the swim. I have to tell you, this was the nastiest water I have ever stepped foot in. It stinks and it leaves an oily film on you. It was so gross. Apparently Miami's sewage plant dumps into that area. And they have to do a daily bacteria check before they open the beach. Lovely, just lovely. It was low tide so it took me awhile to find a place deep enough to swim in. I didn't want to be half a mile out before I found deep water. I told the lifeguards what I was doing and set out with my pink swim cap. And guess what? I did just fine. I was actually able to swim in open water. I was slow but I didn't panic. That was a huge confidence booster. There was a race orientation at 4:00 pm. They had maps of the course and went over how it would work with both the sprint and international distance. There were several first-timers and they went over the rules for them. It was amazing. I've done 1 triathlon and yet I have acquired so much information! I was actually able to help the first-timers. I have learned so much from all my virtual friends. I really don't think I know anything but compared to someone who has not been reading a message board and has not had a coach to help them, I am an encyclopedia of information! I did everything I could to help the first -timers. I took them down to the swim start/finish. I explained transition to them. I offered the same advice that has been given to me. And it really helped me more than it helped them. It helped me feel like I knew what I was doing. That I wasn't a complete idiot who didn't have any business racing in a triathlon.
When I finished with the pre-race preparations, I headed to the motel room. The first thing I had to do was wash that nasty sh*t off my body. I then mixed up my Succeed/Cytocarb mix and put it in the little refrigerator. It was about this time when I realized I had forgotten my contact case and contact solution. The people at the front desk said there was a Walgreens within "walking distance". Well, it was quite a long walk and it took me right past 3 homeless people living under a bridge. I kept thinking, "this is not good". And kept walking. Of course my kimber45(gun) was back in the motel room. A lot of good it did me there. I made it back to the motel room in one piece. When I ventured out for dinner, I had my little kimber45 along for company.
I had two restaurant choices. Italian or Cuban. I chose Cuban. Fortunately I am not one of those people who hate going to restaurants alone. Yeah, people look at you but so what. I had a hard time making a dinner selection.
Their specialties are -
Octopus Gelician Style with potatoes and salad
Rabbit Ib Garlic Sauce with rice and plantains
Frog Legs In Garlic Sauce with potatoes and salad
Crocodille Medallions French Style with potatoes and salad
I ended up having
Grilled Shredded Beef with onions, mixed rice, beans and plantains
Nothing eventful happened on the walk home. I called DH and was in bed by 8:30 pm. I had a wake up call for 3:45, my phone alarm was set for 3:50 and the alarm clock was set for 3:55. Can you tell I was a little worried about oversleeping? Needn't have worried. I woke up at 2:15 and never went back to sleep.
Race Day
When I woke up at 2:15, I ate half a bagel and took my heart medication. I went back to bed and kind of dozed until 3:45. I got up, ate the rest of the bagel and part of another one and got dressed. I talked to the front desk and they said I could have a late checkout. Yeah! That meant I could come back and take a shower before the long drive home. I completely expected the weather to be perfect but I turned on the weather channel just in case. Oh great! Thunderstorms, rain and wind. 18 mph winds. Well, I almost went back to bed. And I think I probably would have if I hadn't been so wide awake. I just knew I'd get blown off the bridge and of course there were going to be waves. The dreaded waves. I gathered up my stuff and headed to the car. It was pouring. I remember someone saying something about garbage bags. I think it was em73. So I stopped at a nearby gas station and purchased some black garbage bags. It took me less than 15 minutes to get to the park. It wasn't yet 5:00am. The parking lot was starting to fill up but no one was getting out of their cars. I figured I might as well get it over with and got out of the car. I took my stuff over to the transition area and I was the only bike in the place. So I was able to rack my bike on the end. I put everything in the garbage bags and went to get my chip and get body marked. Of course I was soaking wet and the ink did not want to stick to my skin. I finished doing that and went back to set up my transition stuff. It was a pain in the neck trying to set up in the dark and in the rain. Next time I'm taking a flash light. I took out what I needed for the race and put it in one plastic bag and then I put my transition bag in another plastic bag. I tried to put my transition stuff in some kind of order but it was all a hodge podge in the bag. People were slowly starting to set up in transition. I was pretty much finished. I walked around and checked out the bike start and the transition entrances and exits. It was still raining and still dark out. I was not going to go and look at the water. I did not want to know how big the waves were. They closed transition at 6:30 and the first wave of international distance swimmers started at 6:40. My wave started at 7:20. I took a gel and headed out to the water at 6:30. I wanted to get in and swim around prior to the race. I wanted to get the initial panic over with.
I have to say I did not panic but it was obvious I was not going to break any records in the swim. I breathe from my left side and the first 200 yds had me facing left and facing the waves. They were washing right over my head. They weren't huge rollers. They were just constant. Every time I tried to take a breath, I got a mouth full of water. But I was pretty buoyant thanks to the salt water so I thought I could float my way through the first 200 yds. I figured I'd be ok on the last 200 yds because I would be facing the shore when I took my breath.
They made everyone get out of the water and then we just waited. It was still drizzling and it was kind of cold standing there in the rain and wind. Some man standing next to me said, "it's going to be cold out there on the bike". Oh great, I hadn't even thought of that. But you know what? All I could think about was Thor and Sherry doing Ironman Lake Placid. They spent hours in this kind of weather. I kept thinking if Thor and Sherry could finish an Ironman in much worse conditions, I could get through a simple sprint.
And then it was time for my wave to start. I stayed at the back of the wave on the far side of the buoy. When we started, everyone made a mad dash though the water. You had to run quite a ways before it was deep enough to swim. I didn't run. I didn't want to start out with a sky high HR and then not be able to breathe. Been there, done that. We finally hit deep water at the first buoy. We essentially swam 200 yds, turned around the buoy and swam back. I gave it my best shot and realized I wasn't going to be able to swim while I was drinking the ocean. I gave up on free-style swimming and moved on to dog paddle, breast stroke and side stroke. I tried to stay off my back and I tried to not do much kicking. I knew if all I did was kick for 400 yds. my legs would be fried before I ever got on the bike. Once again, been there/done that. About 25 yds in, a woman behind me was yelling for help. She was madly waving her hands over her head. The lifeguard on the surf board was hurrying to her rescue. I wasn't too far from her. I stayed and tried to calm her down, from a distance, but all I could think was, "Sorry dude. I'm not drowning with you." I know that sounds terrible but I knew I would be of no help to her. The life guard reached her and she grabbed the surfboard and screamed, "I can't do this." This lifeguard was so nice. He told her she could do it and he would be right there with her. He paddled his board along next to her. She'd dog paddle a little ways, rest on his board and then dog paddle some more. Meanwhile the other lifeguards were signaling to each other and pointing at me. Yes, I was going to be the problem child again. They came over and asked me if I was alright. I told them I was fine. And I was. I wasn't moving very fast but I wasn't freaked out and I was staying above the water. About this time I noticed the next group of swimmers bearing down on me. The lifeguard was frantically waving me over. He knew I was about to become road kill. It is a very strange experience facing a pack of swimmers bearing down on you. I moved as fast as I could and tried to get out of their way. I barely made it. One guy was veering off course and I kind of shoved him back in the general direction of the buoy. I'm telling you, there was a lot of action in that first 100 yds!
I finally made it around the first buoy and started to free-style. And I was doing it. I was actually swimming. I had to rest a few times but I swam the rest of the way in. I got off track once and made it to shore. Only I was about 50 yds short of the finish line. I finally made it to the guy at the finish line. I was still trying to swim and he was yelling at me to get up. I looked at him and said, "I can get up now?" and he said yelled, "yes, get out". I stumbled to shore and then faced the 0.25 mile run to transition. How cruel is that? A quarter mile stumble through the sand. I didn't really run but I refused to walk. I kept hearing my team LIT members saying how you need to run to transition. I finally made it to transition. I have no idea why it took me so long once I reached transition. I did not hurry quite as much as I did the last time. I knew I needed to have my HR under control before I headed out on the bike. I had that monster bridge to face. And all my stuff was in the black garbage bag and it was all out of order. I practice with it in order and I don't have to think much. But since it was all mixed up in the bag, I had to stop and think through each step. I finally got going and I did run my bike to the bike mount. I got on and I was off. I had my Succeed/carbo mix in a sipway bottle and I started in on it right away. I was moving right along and maybe passed a person or two. Of course these were people racing the international distance and they were on their second loop so I wasn't really passing anyone but it sure felt good. They had a bottle exchange and I was able to slow down and grab a bottle without falling over. I was impressed! And then it was time for "the bridge". The worst thing about this race is that you climb the bridge, come down and then immediately turn around and climb back up. I changed my tactics on this bridge. Normally on the drawbridge I go over, I get up into a big gear and go as fast as I can and then have to gear down as my legs get tired. By the time I top the bridge, I'm barely moving. This time, I started at as high a cadence as I could spin. I had it in the granny gear and spun like crazy. I even passed two people! Do you have any idea how hard it is to pass someone, when you're going uphill in the granny gear, not draft and get around them in 15 seconds? It was a b*tch. But it was either pass them or fall over because I couldn't go any slower. I made it to the top and let her rip going down. I have no idea how fast I was going and I didn't care. I knew I needed to make up some time. I made the turn-around and headed back up. I just chugged along and made it over the top. I really and truly thought I would have to get off and walk this bridge. I was so proud of myself for getting over it.
I made it back to transition and had trouble racking my bike. I don't know why but I just couldn't seem to get it to stay up on the rack. I finally made it out of transition and started the run. I immediately had a cramp in my left butt cheek. My inner thighs were killing me and my butt was cramping. I would run/walk and be holding on to my butt. I'd stop and rub on it but it didn't want to loosen up. There was nothing remarkable about this run. I tried to encourage those that were struggling along. Most of those were international distance racers and they were pushing hard. I crossed the finish line as they were announcing my name. That was kind of cool. I've never heard my name announced. Well, except when I've been called on in a court room.
I had to have someone take my chip off. I just can't seem to bend over after racing. I had a gatorade in one hand and a bottle of water in the other and just stumbled around for a few minutes. For some reason I decided I needed to pack up my stuff. So I packed up all my wet transition stuff and loaded it and the bike in the car. I was finally feeling a little more human and I went back and had something to eat. I kept looking at the race results that were posted and my name wasn't up on the list. I thought, "Oh great, my chip didn't work." So I went and asked the chip people if there was another list with my name on it. She looked it up and told me my results and one other lady's results. I asked her if there were just 2 in my AG and she said yes. It took me a minute to realize I won 2^nd^ place in my AG. How could I have done such a sucky job and still get an award? I stuck around for the awards and received a very nice plaque. They even took a picture of the 1^st^ place winner and myself up on a little stage. Granted I was last in my AG but last = 2^nd^ so I took the plaque and was pretty happy about it.
I drove back to the motel, showered and headed home. So my time sucked. So my times were worse than last time. I don't really care. I actually enjoyed this race. It was fun. My confidence has improved dramatically. Yes, there is lots and lots of room for improvement. But I was never going to improve if I was too afraid to try. So I won this race because I'm no longer afraid.
You can see pics here.
You kind of have to hunt around for the pics. I'm on page 3 of the swim pics. 3rd row down, 2nd and third frame. I'm on page 9 of the bike, 1st row, 4th frame. And I'm on page 4 of the run, 1st row, 1st frame. And the awards. I'm on the first page, bottom row, 2nd frame. I'm on the right.
Thanks for reading this, if you've managed to make it this far. Writing this RR was more complicated than the race.
Race Report -
Huntington's Disease Sprint Triathlon, Key Biscayne, Florida
This is probably the longest RR ever written. Please don't feel obligated to read it all.
The short -
400 yd swim, 13 mile bike, 3 mile run
1:58:18 OA 109 /113 Female 32/34
_
swim 19:39 OA 112/113 Female 33/34
__
T1 6:00 OA 104/113 Female 32/34
__
bike 51:59 15.0 mph OA 98/113 Female 28/34
__
T2 1:55 OA 99/113 Female 34/34
__
Run 37:47 12:35 pace OA 110/113 Female 31/34
_
_
Prologue -
_
As I'm sure you remember, I did my first triathlon July 4^th^. I was very disappointed in my performance, especially the swim. It took me a week or so to gain some perspective. As the weeks have gone by, I became more and more unsure of myself. I continued training but I didn't sign up for another race. I knew I needed to race soon or I probably wouldn't do it again. I was hoping to race mid-August but there were no suitable races. They were all 600 yd swims and I wasn't going to attempt 600 yds when I had failed so miserably at 400 yds. So last week I was looking all over Florida for a race to enter. The only one that met my time frame and distance was the one on Sunday, August 3^rd^. I really wasn't ready to race this soon. I knew this course as I'd watched a race in June. The swim was an ocean swim but it appeared to be a fairly calm area. My main concern was the HUGE bridge. My biking has all been on flat, flat Florida terrain. I'd been over 1 short draw-bridge. But nothing like the [url= http://www.southeastroads.com/florida900/fl-913_nb_rickenbacker_causeway_07.jpgRickenbacker[/url][url]= http://www.southeastroads.com/florida900/fl-913_nb_rickenbacker_causeway_06.jpg]Causeway.[/url]] But I made the decision to enter the race anyway. I registered for it on Thursday, July 31^st^. I didn't tell anyone. I wasn't even going to tell Sheldon. I figured if I failed miserably, no one would be the wiser.
This race had one huge advantage. There was both a sprint and an international distance. This meant that I would not be the last person to finish!! I figured I might be able to beat one or two people across the finish line since they were racing twice as far. It is a very lonely feeling racing alone. You start wondering why you're even out there. Everyone else has gone home, there is no food left, the volunteers have packed up the water..................it just sucks. So by entering the combination sprint/international, I had a huge sense of relief. I did not have that pressure of being DFL. I also went to this race alone. I didn't have to worry about not meeting someone else's expectations or worry that my DH was ready to go home long before I finished.
The race site is 2.5 hours from my house. Transition closed at 6:30am. If I went down race day I would have had to pick up my packet that morning. Which meant being at the race site by 5:00 am. Which meant leaving the house at 2:30 am. Which meant getting up at 1:30 am. Well, there was no way in **** I was going to do that. I might have gotten down there and raced but I never would have been able to drive myself home. So I did the obvious thing. I booked a motel room 9 miles from the race site.
Saturday arrived and I packed up all my stuff for the race and for spending a night away from home. That's a lot of stuff to remember! Of course I didn't remember everything. But I did remember everything for the race. I left for Miami around noon. I went to the race site and picked up my packet. And then I went for a swim. I was determined to conquer the swim. I have to tell you, this was the nastiest water I have ever stepped foot in. It stinks and it leaves an oily film on you. It was so gross. Apparently Miami's sewage plant dumps into that area. And they have to do a daily bacteria check before they open the beach. Lovely, just lovely. It was low tide so it took me awhile to find a place deep enough to swim in. I didn't want to be half a mile out before I found deep water. I told the lifeguards what I was doing and set out with my pink swim cap. And guess what? I did just fine. I was actually able to swim in open water. I was slow but I didn't panic. That was a huge confidence booster. There was a race orientation at 4:00 pm. They had maps of the course and went over how it would work with both the sprint and international distance. There were several first-timers and they went over the rules for them. It was amazing. I've done 1 triathlon and yet I have acquired so much information! I was actually able to help the first-timers. I have learned so much from all my virtual friends. I really don't think I know anything but compared to someone who has not been reading a message board and has not had a coach to help them, I am an encyclopedia of information! I did everything I could to help the first -timers. I took them down to the swim start/finish. I explained transition to them. I offered the same advice that has been given to me. And it really helped me more than it helped them. It helped me feel like I knew what I was doing. That I wasn't a complete idiot who didn't have any business racing in a triathlon.
When I finished with the pre-race preparations, I headed to the motel room. The first thing I had to do was wash that nasty sh*t off my body. I then mixed up my Succeed/Cytocarb mix and put it in the little refrigerator. It was about this time when I realized I had forgotten my contact case and contact solution. The people at the front desk said there was a Walgreens within "walking distance". Well, it was quite a long walk and it took me right past 3 homeless people living under a bridge. I kept thinking, "this is not good". And kept walking. Of course my kimber45(gun) was back in the motel room. A lot of good it did me there. I made it back to the motel room in one piece. When I ventured out for dinner, I had my little kimber45 along for company.
I had two restaurant choices. Italian or Cuban. I chose Cuban. Fortunately I am not one of those people who hate going to restaurants alone. Yeah, people look at you but so what. I had a hard time making a dinner selection. Their specialties are -
Octopus Gelician Style with potatoes and salad
|
Rabbit Ib Garlic Sauce with rice and plantains
| 19.00 |
Frog Legs In Garlic Sauce with potatoes and salad
| 19.95 |
Crocodille Medallions French Style with potatoes and salad
I ended up having
Grilled Shredded Beef with onions, mixed rice, beans and plantains
Nothing eventful happened on the walk home. I called DH and was in bed by 8:30 pm. I had a wake up call for 3:45, my phone alarm was set for 3:50 and the alarm clock was set for 3:55. Can you tell I was a little worried about oversleeping? Needn't have worried. I woke up at 2:15 and never went back to sleep.
Race Day
When I woke up at 2:15, I ate half a bagel and took my heart medication. I went back to bed and kind of dozed until 3:45. I got up, ate the rest of the bagel and part of another one and got dressed. I talked to the front desk and they said I could have a late checkout. Yeah! That meant I could come back and take a shower before the long drive home. I completely expected the weather to be perfect but I turned on the weather channel just in case. Oh great! Thunderstorms, rain and wind. 18 mph winds. Well, I almost went back to bed. And I think I probably would have if I hadn't been so wide awake. I just knew I'd get blown off the bridge and of course there were going to be waves. The dreaded waves. I gathered up my stuff and headed to the car. It was pouring. I remember someone saying something about garbage bags. I think it was em73. So I stopped at a nearby gas station and purchased some black garbage bags. It took me less than 15 minutes to get to the park. It wasn't yet 5:00am. The parking lot was starting to fill up but no one was getting out of their cars. I figured I might as well get it over with and got out of the car. I took my stuff over to the transition area and I was the only bike in the place. So I was able to rack my bike on the end. I put everything in the garbage bags and went to get my chip and get body marked. Of course I was soaking wet and the ink did not want to stick to my skin. I finished doing that and went back to set up my transition stuff. It was a pain in the neck trying to set up in the dark and in the rain. Next time I'm taking a flash light. I took out what I needed for the race and put it in one plastic bag and then I put my transition bag in another plastic bag. I tried to put my transition stuff in some kind of order but it was all a hodge podge in the bag. People were slowly starting to set up in transition. I was pretty much finished. I walked around and checked out the bike start and the transition entrances and exits. It was still raining and still dark out. I was not going to go and look at the water. I did not want to know how big the waves were. They closed transition at 6:30 and the first wave of international distance swimmers started at 6:40. My wave started at 7:20. I took a gel and headed out to the water at 6:30. I wanted to get in and swim around prior to the race. I wanted to get the initial panic over with.
I have to say I did not panic but it was obvious I was not going to break any records in the swim. I breathe from my left side and the first 200 yds had me facing left and facing the waves. They were washing right over my head. They weren't huge rollers. They were just constant. Every time I tried to take a breath, I got a mouth full of water. But I was pretty buoyant thanks to the salt water so I thought I could float my way through the first 200 yds. I figured I'd be ok on the last 200 yds because I would be facing the shore when I took my breath.
They made everyone get out of the water and then we just waited. It was still drizzling and it was kind of cold standing there in the rain and wind. Some man standing next to me said, "it's going to be cold out there on the bike". Oh great, I hadn't even thought of that. But you know what? All I could think about was Thor and Sherry doing Ironman Lake Placid. They spent hours in this kind of weather. I kept thinking if Thor and Sherry could finish an Ironman in much worse conditions, I could get through a simple sprint.
And then it was time for my wave to start. I stayed at the back of the wave on the far side of the buoy. When we started, everyone made a mad dash though the water. You had to run quite a ways before it was deep enough to swim. I didn't run. I didn't want to start out with a sky high HR and then not be able to breathe. Been there, done that. We finally hit deep water at the first buoy. We essentially swam 200 yds, turned around the buoy and swam back. I gave it my best shot and realized I wasn't going to be able to swim while I was drinking the ocean. I gave up on free-style swimming and moved on to dog paddle, breast stroke and side stroke. I tried to stay off my back and I tried to not do much kicking. I knew if all I did was kick for 400 yds. my legs would be fried before I ever got on the bike. Once again, been there/done that. About 25 yds in, a woman behind me was yelling for help. She was madly waving her hands over her head. The lifeguard on the surf board was hurrying to her rescue. I wasn't too far from her. I stayed and tried to calm her down, from a distance, but all I could think was, "Sorry dude. I'm not drowning with you." I know that sounds terrible but I knew I would be of no help to her. The life guard reached her and she grabbed the surfboard and screamed, "I can't do this." This lifeguard was so nice. He told her she could do it and he would be right there with her. He paddled his board along next to her. She'd dog paddle a little ways, rest on his board and then dog paddle some more. Meanwhile the other lifeguards were signaling to each other and pointing at me. Yes, I was going to be the problem child again. They came over and asked me if I was alright. I told them I was fine. And I was. I wasn't moving very fast but I wasn't freaked out and I was staying above the water. About this time I noticed the next group of swimmers bearing down on me. The lifeguard was frantically waving me over. He knew I was about to become road kill. It is a very strange experience facing a pack of swimmers bearing down on you. I moved as fast as I could and tried to get out of their way. I barely made it. One guy was veering off course and I kind of shoved him back in the general direction of the buoy. I'm telling you, there was a lot of action in that first 100 yds!
I finally made it around the first buoy and started to free-style. And I was doing it. I was actually swimming. I had to rest a few times but I swam the rest of the way in. I got off track once and made it to shore. Only I was about 50 yds short of the finish line. I finally made it to the guy at the finish line. I was still trying to swim and he was yelling at me to get up. I looked at him and said, "I can get up now?" and he said yelled, "yes, get out". I stumbled to shore and then faced the 0.25 mile run to transition. How cruel is that? A quarter mile stumble through the sand. I didn't really run but I refused to walk. I kept hearing my team LIT members saying how you need to run to transition. I finally made it to transition. I have no idea why it took me so long once I reached transition. I did not hurry quite as much as I did the last time. I knew I needed to have my HR under control before I headed out on the bike. I had that monster bridge to face. And all my stuff was in the black garbage bag and it was all out of order. I practice with it in order and I don't have to think much. But since it was all mixed up in the bag, I had to stop and think through each step. I finally got going and I did run my bike to the bike mount. I got on and I was off. I had my Succeed/carbo mix in a sipway bottle and I started in on it right away. I was moving right along and maybe passed a person or two. Of course these were people racing the international distance and they were on their second loop so I wasn't really passing anyone but it sure felt good. They had a bottle exchange and I was able to slow down and grab a bottle without falling over. I was impressed! And then it was time for "the bridge". The worst thing about this race is that you climb the bridge, come down and then immediately turn around and climb back up. I changed my tactics on this bridge. Normally on the drawbridge I go over, I get up into a big gear and go as fast as I can and then have to gear down as my legs get tired. By the time I top the bridge, I'm barely moving. This time, I started at as high a cadence as I could spin. I had it in the granny gear and spun like crazy. I even passed two people! Do you have any idea how hard it is to pass someone, when you're going uphill in the granny gear, not draft and get around them in 15 seconds? It was a b*tch. But it was either pass them or fall over because I couldn't go any slower. I made it to the top and let her rip going down. I have no idea how fast I was going and I didn't care. I knew I needed to make up some time. I made the turn-around and headed back up. I just chugged along and made it over the top. I really and truly thought I would have to get off and walk this bridge. I was so proud of myself for getting over it.I made it back to transition and had trouble racking my bike. I don't know why but I just couldn't seem to get it to stay up on the rack. I finally made it out of transition and started the run. I immediately had a cramp in my left butt cheek. My inner thighs were killing me and my butt was cramping. I would run/walk and be holding on to my butt. I'd stop and rub on it but it didn't want to loosen up. There was nothing remarkable about this run. I tried to encourage those that were struggling along. Most of those were international distance racers and they were pushing hard. I crossed the finish line as they were announcing my name. That was kind of cool. I've never heard my name announced. Well, except when I've been called on in a court room.
I had to have someone take my chip off. I just can't seem to bend over after racing. I had a gatorade in one hand and a bottle of water in the other and just stumbled around for a few minutes. For some reason I decided I needed to pack up my stuff. So I packed up all my wet transition stuff and loaded it and the bike in the car. I was finally feeling a little more human and I went back and had something to eat. I kept looking at the race results that were posted and my name wasn't up on the list. I thought, "Oh great, my chip didn't work." So I went and asked the chip people if there was another list with my name on it. She looked it up and told me my results and one other lady's results. I asked her if there were just 2 in my AG and she said yes. It took me a minute to realize I won 2^nd^ place in my AG. How could I have done such a sucky job and still get an award? I stuck around for the awards and received a very nice plaque. They even took a picture of the 1^st^ place winner and myself up on a little stage. Granted I was last in my AG but last = 2^nd^ so I took the plaque and was pretty happy about it. I drove back to the motel, showered and headed home. So my time sucked. So my times were worse than last time. I don't really care. I actually enjoyed this race. It was fun. My confidence has improved dramatically. Yes, there is lots and lots of room for improvement. But I was never going to improve if I was too afraid to try. So I won this race because I'm no longer afraid.
You can see pics here.
You kind of have to hunt around for the pics. I'm on page 3 of the swim pics. 3rd row down, 2nd and third frame. I'm on page 9 of the bike, 1st row, 4th frame. And I'm on page 4 of the run, 1st row, 1st frame. And the awards. I'm on the first page, bottom row, 2nd frame. I'm on the right.
Thanks for reading this, if you've managed to make it this far. Writing this RR was more complicated than the race.
Attachments:
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2nd place plaque (2).jpg (41.0 K)
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![http://www.southeastroads.com/florida900/fl-913_nb_rickenbacker_causeway_06.jpg]](http://www.southeastroads.com/florida900/fl-913_nb_rickenbacker_causeway_06.jpg]){kind=link}
Wow, Kimber, AWESOME race report. I read every word. I love all the details of everything. Made me almost feel like I was there. You are one tough cookie. Amazing, amazing. You deserve that plaque!!!
I went out yesterday for a run. Waiting until nearly 8:00 at night because it was so freakin' hot here yesterday. But with the heat index it was still 93 degrees. I made it 2 miles. I drank 32 ounces of Nuun in those two miles and then I called it quits. I don't know how in the WORLD people run in Death Valley and stuff. I was at about 3/4 of a mile and thought of how you told yourself that the people doing the Ironman had endured hours and hours of weather just as bad as you were experiencing, but that only got me to two miles. I am really looking forward to October!
I did do my w2d1 push-up challenge. My left elbow is starting to click in a very odd and kind of disturbing way when I do them... I had a dream that I started doing them on my fists (my wrists hurt a bit sometimes) and I could do hundreds!
Susie, we'll be waiting to hear how it goes on Friday!
Nico
I went out yesterday for a run. Waiting until nearly 8:00 at night because it was so freakin' hot here yesterday. But with the heat index it was still 93 degrees. I made it 2 miles. I drank 32 ounces of Nuun in those two miles and then I called it quits. I don't know how in the WORLD people run in Death Valley and stuff. I was at about 3/4 of a mile and thought of how you told yourself that the people doing the Ironman had endured hours and hours of weather just as bad as you were experiencing, but that only got me to two miles. I am really looking forward to October!
I did do my w2d1 push-up challenge. My left elbow is starting to click in a very odd and kind of disturbing way when I do them... I had a dream that I started doing them on my fists (my wrists hurt a bit sometimes) and I could do hundreds!
Susie, we'll be waiting to hear how it goes on Friday!
Nico
Kimber: You are completely and utterly awesome! That was the best race report ever (long = good in my book
). Like Nico said, I felt like I was right there with you. They oughta make a movie about that race! You get a first place plaque from the Long Haul, as far as I'm concerned.Nico - I hear you. Gimme snow and ice any day of the week, compared to this heat and humidity. I can't believe I miss my runs from February! Sounds like you did very well, though, just to go as far as you did.
I had a similar experience yesterday. I did get out there after work, and decided to attempt my scheduled speedwork. It was about 80F and humidity wasn't too awful (compared to what it's been, anyway). I did my warmup mile, then did 3x1000m at slightly faster than 7:54, with 400m recovery intervals. I was supposed to do 5x1000m, but I could tell after my third run interval that it wasn't going to happen. I was starting to get a little light-headed, and the pesky head-cold was messing a little bit with my breathing, so I decided not to take any chances. I finished up my bottle of Nuun and walked home. That totalled to 3.5 miles even. Can't complain, considering.
I did w2d2 of the hundred pushups this morning. Sets of 16, 13, 11, 11, and 15+. I got 20 on my last set, so I'm feeling pretty good about week two so far. I'm heading out to the garage in a little bit to install my cadence sensor and do a 45 minute ride. Should be fun, since I listen to the Endurance Planet podcasts while I ride. I downloaded them all, going back to 2006. I still have something like 130 to get through (good thing they're not all that long!).
Susie - Good luck tomorrow! I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes.
Don