Well, it's been just over a week since this race and I'm still feeling the after-effects.
We knew going in it would be interesting. My last run leading up to race day (9.22) was on September 8; a 10-miler that went surprisingly well. After that, a few days off for trip preparation and then 10 glorious days in Europe with no running (despite our best intentions), but a crapton (and I mean crapton; you'll see in the September recap) of walking.
The main downside to the trip happened in London. I don't know if it was the bed or not, but I slept poorly due to back pain. I had some leg soreness (due to walking), but the back? It took an hour or so each morning for it to feel better. It went away in our last couple days ... just in time for an 11.5 hour flight back to the states, a small airport sit and then another three hour flight home.
We got home at around 11pm Thursday night and woke up a lot earlier than expected Friday morning. We got to the race expo about when it opened, picked up our packets and walked around a bit. We said hi to our friends at BRC-DTC and I bought a lighter weight long-sleeve Run CO running shirt. Afterwards, we grabbed lunch, did some unpacking and then our standard breakfast for dinner then bed.
Saturday morning; out of bed dark and early. We were going to park on Broadway like we did last year ... and then realized that last year's race was on a Sunday when meters are free. This year, race was on a Saturday (dang Broncos) and therefore, no free meters. And they'd turn on while we were running and there'd be no way for us to get to the meter and feed it. So, off it was to the suggested parking on the Auraria Campus and the mile walk to the start line ... where I got some nice pictures of the downtown skyline at dawn.
Our attitude was nice and relaxed (typically a good thing) as we got to Civic Center Park, dropped off our gear at gear check and then actually got in our corral well before the start, unlike last year. Surprisingly enough, we actually saw my friend Liz as she made her way to her corral.
Eventually, it was time to start. Our plan was to take the first few miles nice and steady, which we succeeded at. The first few miles were right around 10, 10:15/mile which was the race plan. I felt okay in those miles, but not good. I've been starting to feel good starting in mile twoish on most of my runs ... but not this one. Even hitting the three mile point ... not so good.
5K Split: 30:44
We hit the nasty hill at the start of 17th and decided, unlike last year when we attacked it, to walk up the hill (this is at about mile 3.5). I was personally happy about this because I was having a bit of a time trying to get my lungs underneath me. It was early on in the race, but I could already tell it was probably just not going to be my day.
17th Street was a bit of a struggle. Brandon was upset, but I couldn't keep at the steady running pace that he was holding. He can hold a steady pace and maintain; I can't right now. I run at the pace that my body wants to for as long as I can hold it then walk at a brisk pace to get my lungs back and then go go go again. In shorter races, I pretty much red-line it, but at the longer distances? The run/walk is how I roll. Therefore, we stayed together, but kind of.
At mile 5, we turned left on Park (I think) and I hit the one groove I would hit all race. From the turn off 17th until we turned into City Park, I felt awesome. Too bad that would be the only time.
City Park ... was City Park. Brandon felt like he was frustrating me a bit (not gonna lie, he was a teeny tiny bit) so he hung back, just staying in sight of my back. He was feeling okay, unlike me.
10K Split: 1:04:06
Not long after the 10K split, we made the decision to split up, as that was part of our original race plan: if one of us felt better than the other, we'd separate and run our own race from that point on. Since Brandon was obviously doing better than I was, he went off. Before we split, though, he made me take my gel (earlier than I had wanted, but I think he thought it might help me out).
By this point, my back was starting to act up. A little after mile seven, I was walking way more than running and by the turnaround at 17th and Colorado (so mile eight), my back was making it so I could barely run.
I saw Brandon at the Esplanade out and back and he said he was going to slow down and wait for me. That inspired me to try and pick it up and run some more, but it felt like my back was compressing with each step and I was starting to get some soreness in my left hip. In short, misery.
10 mi Split: 1:50:20
(yes, that shows how much I was dying)
I finally caught up to Brandon around the Gu table at around mile 10.5. I asked Brandon why he waited for me; he said that after spending almost two weeks together in Europe and with all our training together, it didn't feel right to finish the race without each other. That, and he knew he wasn't going to hit 2:10, so y'know.
Like I tried helping him push through last year, he tried doing the same to me this year, pushing me to run whenever I could. This was a bit tricky, especially in Cheesman, as the back felt awful and the hip pain started going into the outside of my left knee. When he told me to push, I ran only until I felt the pain going into my knee; as soon as I felt it there, I'd stop. I am not screwing with my knees.
The last 5K was fairly awful, but like I made Brandon do last year, I was able to run from the turn off 13th, past the Capitol building and down to the finish. I didn't necessarily sprint like usual, but I gutted it out.
Final Stats:
Time: 2:30:04
Pace: 11:27/mi
Overall Rank: 5804/8168
Gender Rank: 3483/5348
Division (F25-29) Rank: 809/1117
Obviously not what I was hoping for. Second time I've attempted this race and the second time it's killed both of us. Last year, granted, was more Brandon but I had my fair share of aches and pains in it and this year ... ugh.
Brandon post-race.
Ugh.
Trying to smile.
The pain is really evident on my face in that last photo.
It's been a week later, and I still haven't run. I've swum, I've thrown around a softball ... and that's about it. I tried jogging in place in the apartment to see how it feels and while I don't feel the compression I did during the race, my back still is not all that happy. I don't know if it's due to a weaker core for not doing any core work for almost three weeks, or walking around in shoes with insufficient support, or what, but I don't want to take any chances. My plan is to try running again October 3 and see how it goes.
Beer (and wings and fries and salad) after the race though? That was probably one of the best things all day.
I think with this post I'll be officially caught up on blog posts ... woo hoo! And with good timing, too; Team Baby Dino is off on their very delayed honeymoon/first anniversary trip to Paris and London in four days! That's right; Tuesday (after a long run) will see us off to the airport to begin our journey across the pond for 10 days of food, being a tourist, taking lots of pictures ... and running once or twice for the half-marathon we're doing two days after we get back.
But first, August numbers:
Running: 28.48 mi
Swimming: 4865.76m (3.02 mi)
Cycling: 113.65 mi
Lifting: five sessions
Other: just some walking
Although I posted on a speedy swim I had in August, swimming was generally a struggle. I'd get in the pool, attempt to swim, and give up after 800m. I'd get that dang half-mile in, but it was rough getting there.
Cycling numbers ended up being good due to a few things:
1.) Bike commuting. I was able to ride my bike to and from work quite a bit and that's just shy of 9 miles each time.
2.) Long(ish) rides. I did two thirty mile rides; one with Brandon revisiting the Platte and one by myself downtown to go see the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.
Running ... was both good and bad. I'm not happy that the numbers still stink. However, I am glad that I've been getting in some long runs to prepare for that silly half-marathon at the end of the month that we just signed up for yesterday.
September's numbers are going to be interesting just for the sheer fact that we're going to be out of the country for half the month. I plan on getting in two longer runs before we leave - 10 or 12 tomorrow with the group at BRC-DTC and then 5-8 Tuesday morning before we leave ... as well as two swims and one ride.
While in Europe, we're hoping to run at least once, preferably twice and ideally three times ... but we're going to be realistic about it, too. We're going to walk a TON which will help some and I'm probably going to try to sneak in some strength work when I can. Swimming won't happen, but if they have B-Cycles (community rental cycles) and it's not perpetually raining, we're hoping to rent out those, too.
This summer, the heat has really been a factor in training.
Thanks to record temps across the west and midwest, where I do the majority of my overnights, running outside has been, interesting, to say the least. I've done some morning runs as early as 4 am to beat the heat, and even those have been hot at times! Furthermore, I've learned a few things about my body and how it responds to uber hot temperatures.
I run very hot. In other words, I heat up quick and I sweat a lot. I remember when I was younger playing hockey I was a sweaty hockey player, which is kind of ironic when you're playing in a 10 degree ice arena (or -20, if it was a high school home game!). I also have learned something about taking in fluids. It's best to take in a ton of fluid the day BEFORE I do a long run, so I don't get that sloshy feeling in my stomach.
Today, I went for a 7.5 mile run in Wichita. It was 97 degrees. About two weeks ago, I did this same run at a 9:52 per mile. But I did it at 7:15 in the morning, when it was 65 degrees, so we're looking at a 32 degree difference. Very significant. I forced myself to dial it back, because I knew I had a long way to go. I also cherished every ounce of shade on the run and every breeze that kicked up. I carried my fuel belt with water and flat Pepsi. Although both got warm, they were very refreshing and kept me going.
I'd say around 4 miles in, after I made the turnaround point, my body decided it had enough. I kind of felt like a horse who fell apart at the 3/4 pole and needed a whip to get moving. I've noticed on hot runs, this happens. My body breaks down very quickly. The important thing is to keep moving, even if I walk. I think about the Ironman that I want to attempt in 2013, and I know as a weaker runner, that if I stop, I probably will stop for good that day. So it's a lesson in determination and drive.
Running hot definitely wears me out, but there's a bit of pride in it. While other athletes are sitting inside taking the day off, or are on the treadmill, I'm out there putting in the miles I need to succeed. :-)
Late, yeah, I know.
This race was a big one in some respects - triathlon #12 of the career. I've come a long way from the first time I did this race way back in 2007. I've run a lot of races, I've done several Olympic-distance tris and I've done my first half-Ironman. This race kind of sucks in several ways (ways in which I'll describe later), but it's a return to my roots. And, with our decision to solely do shorter races this year, I figured it was a good time to return to this race.
My friend Genevieve, who I also did the race with my first year, also intended on racing this year and that contributed to my decision. However, she ended up not being able to race as she had to be on call for her job.
Despite that, she still spent the night at our apartment the night before so she could go up with us on race day and watch and cheer as long as she could.
As a result, the night before the race was a late one, much like when I first raced this race five years ago. Five years ago, my brother had his house-warming party the night before the race. As a good sister, I stopped by (with Gen, ironically) ... and ended up staying up a little later than I would have liked, figuring it was okay because I usually stayed up that late - keeping with the schedule, you know?
This year, I was waiting for Brandon to come home. He ended up coming home for the night on a Colorado Springs overnight, watching me race while technically at work. I caught up with Gen waiting for Brandon to come home, staying up late but not regretting it a second. I know I race better relaxed and going to bed relaxed would be better in the long run - or so I figured.
Earlier that day, I rode my bike to the expo for packet pick-up and chit-chatted with the higher powers that be at Skirt Sports which may hopefully result in something cool ... more on that if I learn more. Regardless, the chats put me in a giddy mood for the rest of the day and carried over to that night.
Race Day
The day of, Brandon and I woke up early, turned on the Olympic women's marathon for a bit and then as soon as I was packed up, borrowed Gen's car and drove up to Cherry Creek State Park. We parked, unpacked my stuff and got me a prime spot in transition. We then walked back to the car, drove home and ate breakfast and continued to watch the marathon.
(side note: Shalane was not wearing the knee socks ... why? pretty sure that was half her problem ... her power was gone!)
With about 90 minutes before my wave start, we left the house and walked up to the race (Gen decided to drive just in case she needed to bug out). Once we got up to the site, we split up - I went into trans to actually get my area set up and get ready to race while Brandon and Gen hung out.
The Swim
The swim wave came around a little unexpectedly; they were announcing the waves to line up to get ready - I heard the groups before my wave ... and then I heard the groups after. As soon as I heard them call the later groups, I dashed off and squashed my way down through to my wave. Oops.
However, I got there in time and off. There were a ton of people - Tri for the Cure does a great job with the wave starts and organization with the thousands of people that do the race, but that still didn't prevent swim bottlenecks.
The swim itself was an upside-down triangle. I finally had a little space to myself at the bottom of the triangle, but as soon as I turned back to shore, I ran into more people.
This was a little annoying, but I ultimately think it helped me; I think I may have (inadvertently) drafted for the first time in a race because it led me to my fastest swim time. EVER.
Time: 18:00 (785th overall)
T1
I forgot how long the run up from the swim to transition was. Ugh.
Yeah, I stopped running at one point. I got ready to ride and then clomped the long-as way to the bike out, waving at Brandon and Gen again.
Time: 4:31
The Bike
This bike course is so familiar to me and I knew where I could push it and where I needed to hold back. Brandon and I rode the course a few times to specifically figure that out for me. I felt good at the outset so I pushed slightly harder at the beginning than planned.
The few issues I had were on the shooting center road past the point where the road is typically closed. It was very, very crowded on this section and the road needs repaved. Badly.
It was really hard to pass in this section, there was a lot of clumping of riders. It's hard for me - the Tri for the Cure is a really beginner-friendly race which is ultimately a good thing. However, it's not nice when people (un)intentionally ride tandem and draft off each other.
The super frustrating part of that was they changed the wave starts this year to go by ability level. I'm not a beginner by any stretch of the imagination, but I didn't quite meet the requirements for the competitive wave, either. So, I lumped myself in the intermediate wave which essentially assumes that this race wasn't your first rodeo ... but I know that it was for some just listening to people in my wave before the swim.
So, while I wanted to bomb it on the return part of the shooting center road out and back, I really couldn't do it and lost a bit of speed as a result due to slowing down to either people roadblocks or potholes.
Once back on the main road, I pushed the speed as much as I dared without killing myself, saving some energy for the death hill.
The death hill, all things considered, I did alright. It wasn't pretty, but I did it.
I turned to the downhill section and one of my proudest moments came on the turn at the bottom of the hill - I still managed to make the turn going 20-something mph, which is fast for me ... especially considering I still corner a bit tentatively after the crash (four months later, I know).
I rode steadily back, following the race plan except for taking in nutrition on the bike - I didn't feel like I needed it, so I didn't take my gel as planned.
I also didn't see Brandon or Gen coming back into transition; apparently I rode faster than they expected me to.
Time: 38:40 (17.6 mph, 260th overall)
T2
I got off my bike and clomped my way back to my spot to get ready for the run. Easy peasy.
Time: 2:43
The Run
I'm not going to sugarcoat this - the first half of this run f'ing blows. It's all uphill, there's no shade (well, there's no shade at all on the run) and it's on pavement on the Dam Road with rocks all around you - you run in an oven. Ugh.
I sort of ran the first little bit past the tents (including the SkirtSports booth) and then decided, "screw it," walked and took in my gel.
I ran/walked pretty much the whole first mile which, as I said before, is entirely uphill. I hit the mile one marker at either 10:20ish or 10:30ish; I forget now.
I picked it up slightly in mile two, particularly after the turnaround point where the course started to go downhill. I kept up my steady run/walk rotation and made up time.
Mile three was almost entirely running and almost entirely downhill.
They changed the finisher's chute slightly from the last time I did this race, but it really didn't amount to much. It was just something I remember thinking as I neared the finish.
There was a woman at the end that I came up on in the chute that I tried so badly to beat across the line (because I'm crazy like that) and according to the race photos, I did, so woo to that! I also finally saw Brandon at the end of the race, but unfortunately he missed getting a photo of me crossing the line. Boo.
Time: 30:12 (9:44/mi, 508th overall)
I met up with Brandon and Gen, grabbed some food, talked to Chris at the SkirtSports booth, went home, showered, grabbed food and busted our butts back down to the Springs so Brandon could get back to work.
All of those numbers, though? Added up to a HUGE race PR. A 13:14 race PR from the first time I did the race (1:47:22) and damn near a 30 minute PR from the only other time I did the race (2:00:20)
Overall Time:
1:34:08
326/1971 overall
40/198 division (25-29)
The bummer of it all is that I'm still 4:08 off from being able to race this race "competitively", but it's all good. I'll miss it next year for the same reason I didn't race it last year - it always falls on the same day as IMBoulder70.3 ... which I'm doing next year.
Still, huge PRs are huge PRs. That's the fastest swim I've ever had in a race, my fastest bike split (er, average) as far as I can tell and I'm pretty sure my fastest run. I'll take it.
I still have my Tri for the Cure recap to do (Monday, probably, or later tonight), but I just got back from the gym and neeeeeeeeed to do a quick post.
So I swam today. 1000m, nothing special.
BUT.
The speed! I did 2x100m, 1x600m, 2x100m. As I typically do, my first either 50m or 100m of any pool workout I go as fast as I can. Today, I did UNDER 2:00 for the FIRST time EVER - 1:59.58! I was at 800m in 18:18, which is some of the fastest I've ever swam that distance.
Also: total time today was 22:30.19 ... that's four minutes faster than I was doing the same distance back in Februrary. Four minutes! That's also comparable to some of my 900m times from March and April:
23:20.87
22:40.70
23:03.03
I've swam close to 30 miles this year and it's FINALLY paying off which makes me so, so, so, so, SO happy.
Not that you could tell, or anything.
P.S.: My weight was under 165 (163!) for the first time in like a year, so that was nice too. My body decided to stabilize at about 168ish for the longest damn time and it might be finally budging the slightest bit which would be AWESOME.
Welp, it finally happened. I turned 29.
I know a lot of people freak out when they approach the age of 30. I've read and heard the reasons why. They haven't accomplished enough, they realize the youngest years are behind them, and blah blah blah.
I'm not freaking out.
I've accomplished a lot in my 20's. I graduated college. I got my first "real" job. I rediscovered my love of being an airline pilot. I met my best friend and now wife. I got back on the fitness bandwagon and have run two half-marathons and completed a 1/2 Ironman. I moved multiple times, setting in Colorado. I was forced to grow up very quickly, and more than once. I got my finances under control. I became smarter and more educated, and not all of it in the classroom. I have dreams of owning my own business. I saw new places and had new experiences. I donated to a political cause for the first time.
Simply put, the 20's, while having ups and downs, I'm not sad at what they brought.
I have one more year left. I do not plan on wasting it. And I actually look forward to embracing my 30's.
