Race #2 of the Season: Brineman Sprint Triathlon

While I've mostly been dealing with a break from racing due to various reasons, we both decided to race a local sprint triathlon that literally took place a half mile from our house - TriUtah's Brineman.

Brineman has a kids' splash 'n' dash race, a sprint, an Olympic, and a half-distance race. When I was first tossing around the idea, obviously I was thinking the half, sort of mulled over the Oly (even though I'm not the biggest fan of the distance), but ultimately we both settled on the sprint.

We drove down Wednesday night for packet pickup instead of dealing with it race morning as why would we want to go about a mile to packet pickup and then that mile to the race venue and then back to our house (and back again) when we could just avoid going to the stupid nature center until we finished there with the race later that day?

Because the fun, weird thing about this race, is that it takes place on a Friday morning. 

Transition/bike drop off opened up earlier than I thought I had read, so we literally just rolled out of bed and went to drop our bikes and gear off before doing anything (except maybe brushing my teeth). Bikes got dropped and we walked home to make breakfast and do all the things (happily poop in our own toilet, get changed into our tri kits, sunscreen (and bug spray) up ...). With about an hour to go before the start of the sprint, we headed back over to transition.

Been a while since I've set up a transition zone like this ...

Chilling out.

Around about the time the Olympic race went off, we got into our wetsuits and went for a quick little practice dip into the lakes. Oh yeah, the swim takes place in one of the two private waterski lakes that are in our neighborhood. Probably the only time (unless I race again) that I'll be allowed in these lakes. Even though I want to make friends with the kid who was skating on them when they froze over last winter ...

The Swim:

The swim course of the lake was either a half loop (if you were doing the sprint), a full loop (the Olympic), or one of each (the half). We lined up due to estimated 100yd swim pace (I went in around the 2:00-2:20 group iirc? maybe the 1:50-2:00?) ... B actually decided to line up with me. 

The timing mat was a few feet from the actual water so you crossed the mat, gingerly took a few steps on the boat dock, and then popped in the water. I took about two steps off the dock and said "fuck it" and started swimming, though many others around me waded in a bit more.

I think it happened at CdA, but pretty much ever since then (with a few notable exceptions), the swim leg of triathlon has been a non-issue for me. Like, it just is. I don't question my life on it - I just put my head down and swim.

I did, however, feel like I got beat up the most on this swim than ANY OTHER. Early on, I got smacked in the face and my goggles slid just enough to be annoying, but not annoying enough for me to want to stop to tread water to fix them. If it had been a longer swim, maybe, but this short? Eh. I got a forearm to the back, constant smacking of feet and legs and arms, another smack in the face ... it was brutal. I'd do my best to swim away from someone and through a hole and that person would just swim back into me. Like, really? Figure it out.

Other than the physical contact, an uneventful swim except for me almost swimming into a boat dock and having a bit of trouble sighting to the finish due to the sun.

Popped out, saw 15:something on my watch (decently happy with for 750m) ... and proceeded to still have to run a decent stretch back to transition to where the timing mat was. And I did flop off the path on the grass to take my wetsuit off as I knew space in transition was limited.

Time: 17:46

T1:

While I saw B's bike was gone (figures), there were a good chunk of us in our tiny little corner all at the same time. I do think I beat most of the other guys out, though. Did take a second to toss a bit of Aquaphor on my neck even though I didn't really feel like I chafed. It was also nice being on a fence as that's where I tossed up my wetsuit. It was nice and dry by the end of the day.

Time: 2:12

The Bike:

So. We had pre-rode the course (using the very terrible directions on the site) about a week prior. Figured out that the turns that gave us issues would be well-marked on race day and didn't worry about it from there.

The course started off normal - in fact, it started off on my usual ride from the house - but then a little bit after where I thought we should have turned ... we didn't. And kept riding off my usual path. And then we turned toward the Antelope Island causeway ... which I knew that the other two distances did, but not us. We rode over the bumpy dirt section (which, in the final pre-race e-mail, was mentioned as a concern for the half and Olympic distance racers, but not the for the sprint ...), went past the guard gate for a little bit and then flipped it.

So, what was in theory a 12.5ish mile bike turned into a 10.6ish mile bike. Which means the race results have me as a lot faster of a speed than I actually had.

That being said, I did ride it a lot faster than I usually do in training, so that's a plus. I was kind of going all out all day, and my Garmin definitely showed it.

Time: 35:49

T2:

Just as there were a few of us in T1, most of us also all rolled into T2 at the same time, too, including a guy that I had been going back and forth with a little. Which was hilarious.

Mostly uneventful again except trying to figure out where one of my socks went and choosing to not deal with BodyGliding my feet.

I should also say that I saw B very early on in the run as I rolled in, so I knew I wasn't far behind. I also wasn't sure if I could catch him (spoiler: I didn't).

Time: 2:26

The Run:

The elevated heart rate I had all day really came into play on the run as it was a little rough trying to run. I did try to run as much as I could and did my 20 breath walk breaks (as per usual). Mile one was sub-11, which I was very grateful for.

The run goes right behind our house at one point and we put the dinosaurs up in a window so we could see them which made me very happy. Our neighbors also put a sign up which made me crack up:

In-joke. Apparently one of their family members hates encouraging signs, so they do signs more like this when cheering for EVERYONE in the family now. I heard about this and thought it was hilarious and was totally fine with them doing it for us, too.

Mile two was in the 11s, but I was still actually passing some people. I had no idea where I was place-wise or anything, but I did know that I was doing more passing than being passed - even with my walk breaks.

The run was in theory a 5K ... but both B and I definitely had around 3.4 miles instead. While mile 3 was still in the 11s, it was actually faster than mile 2. Race results have me averaging a 12:08/mi, but the race also thinks that my time was for a 5K. Which it totally was NOT.

Perk to B finishing before me - finish shot! He put his phone in his jersey for the run for Peloton app tracking because he is a nerd.

Time: 38:01

Overall Stats:
Time: 1:36:13.78
3/11 division (F40-44)
32/82 gender
107/209 overall

Wait, what's that? Third in my AG? Yep.

Didn't wait for an official medal ceremony, but they accepted my print-out results for my award thingy and then we staged this photo.

Technically schmecnically I was fourth in my age group, but the overall women's winner was also in the 40-44 AG so she got pulled into the overall top three letting me sneak up onto the podium. My first official AG award in a triathlon - I've done it in a 5K and in a few duathlons, but this is a triathlon first for me. Woo!

B was official champion of the house, finishing just under four minutes ahead of me, but he didn't place in his age group, so we both kind of win.

Fun day, and it makes me excited to jump into the local tri scene more next year.

August Round Up

August was actually kind of ... good. Not anywhere close to perfect, but definitely decent.

Swimming: 10100m (6.28mi)
Cycling: 105.71 mi
Running: 44.16 mi
Lifting: six sessions (2:10)
Other: one hike (:45), five walks (3:46:04), one session yoga (:25)

I finally got over 10k in the pool again AND over 100 miles on the bike. Which means I basically did a third of my currently yearly totals in each sport in one month. Oops ...? One of the rides ended up being 25 miles (not planned), which was perhaps a tad ambitious given my lack of riding this year, but I managed it. 

Despite the slip up at the end of July, my running is back on track in terms of the every-other-day thing and I got up to 6 miles again, which is also nice. Maybe not specifically necessary for sprint tri training, but eh. Garmin badges can lure me in.

I did end up having two complete off days (oh 40, is this you?). Lifting ... was a disaster. I need to lift and lift a lot more. I legitimately feel the weakest I maybe have ever been. Or at least the weakest in over half my life. Which SUCKS. The other also needs to be more - walking is good - I actually walked a lot more than that - but the yoga, the mobility, the HIKING, playing with my inlines ... it all has to happen.

But first, a sprint tri.

July Round Up

Oh, July. You were terrible. I did end up signing up for the local sprint tri, but have I really started training for it? Not really.

Turned 40 at the beginning of the month and had a trip for that. Then the exhaustion of that week caught up with me the next and it was 50/50 good. Then we went to Slovenia for a little over a week (which was AWESOME). And then I got sick. Which leaves us to our fairly crap numbers ...

Swimming: 2200m (1.37 mi)
Cycling: 15.76 mi
Running: 32.19 mi
Lifting: nine sessions (2:57)
Other: four hikes (6:40), one session erg (rowing machine)(:10), one session stepmill (:05), five walks (3:20), one session yoga (:10)

Oh swimming. I don't even know there.

... I don't know what it is about the bike, but I need to re-fall in love with it. Badly.

Running appears to be the bright spot, but I actually lost my run "streak" in Slovenia (having kept up with running every other day since the end of March). I thankfully have restarted it, though.

Lifting was kind of unacceptable, as was the amount of yoga/stretching I did (not) do. Hiking was good - we did a lot of that in Slovenia and I have missed it.

I need to be on top of my shit in August if I want to be able to do the sprint at Brineman with any sort of respectability, and my almost eight-year-old Garmin crapping out on me at the end of July does not really help with that. I do have a new one on the way, though, and I'm managing with B's and my old-ass Timex in the meantime. 

June Round Up

Well, we had some improvements, but also some not. As usual.

Swimming: 6500m (4.04 mi)
Cycling: 47.94 mi
Running: 42 mi
Lifting: 18 sessions (8:07)
Other: one session plyometrics (:21), three walks (1:08), one session yoga (:10)

The swim was a great improvement ... even with me not really swimming the last two weeks of the month. Obviously if I work on getting in the water a little it happens well. But when it falls off ...

The bike ... I just don't know what's going on with that. The trainer sucks and I don't know what's with the bike anxiety I seem to have. Not fun. Something I really definitively need to figure out. Maybe I just need to find people to ride with, but I'm not all that good and I know like everyone always has specific training rides and metrics so it's awkward to try to think of even how to ask/approach it. So I don't.

Running has stayed consistent now for three months. Some runs still make me want to die (most), but there have also been a few glimpses of maybe. Mileage is starting to creep up, and now maybe I can try thinking about tossing in a bit of speed. Maybe.

Strength has been a nice surprise. I did a specific strong at home program for the last two weeks of the month that had me lifting heavier which was actually really nice. Definitely things I need to keep up with.

The other hasn't been a lot. The good news is I think I only logged a walk as the daily workout once; the other two were part of coffee runs/walks back home, so that's nice. Definitely need more yoga (as always) and why haven't I hiked yet this summer?

Still deciding on whether to race a tri in September. I need to just decide ...

May Round Up

... I really wish these monthly recaps didn't all feel like a broken record. But they do. Hopefully that's changing though ...

Swimming: 1700m (1.06 mi)
Cycling: 48.71 mi
Running: 31.78 mi
Lifting: eight sessions (3:15)
Other: one hike (1:00), one session plyos (:10), one session erg/rowing machine (:10:06), one session stationary bike (:10), three walks (1:20), four sessions yoga (1:00)

I got back in the pool a bit in the early part of the month, but haven't in a little while, unfortunately.

The bike is fine if I can get outside - the trainer is still an immense struggle. I do need to get a bit better on mileage, but I am starting to get out there.

Running - while not high mileage - has continued to be consistent. Another month where I did not skip a run, so I'm immensely grateful for that.

Not lifting as much as I'd like - or need - but I have officially lifted as many times as I hoped for the entire year (which means I set that goal too low, but hey - I'll take my wins where I can get them). 

Happy about a decent amount of other ... except the walks. I'm currently walking with B every day that he's home, but I only count the walks in my workout log if it's the only thing I manage to do that day. So having that be my only workout for three days? Not good for me.

I say this with eternal optimism every month, but here's hoping June is better - it should be.

April Round Up

... oh April. Full of ups and downs once again.

Swimming: 0m (0mi)
Cycling: 18.87 mi
Running: 27.57 mi
Lifting: nine sessions (3:30)
Other: one day skiing (1:30), one session stationary bike (:30), two walks (:50), twelve sessions yoga (5:45)

Swimming was a whole lot of nothing because, as I mentioned last month, my doctor didn't officially want me swimming with the thumb, so I didn't in order to let it properly heal. Which it is, so I'll accept that loss.

Cycling ... well, all those rides were outside on my gravel bike. The trainer sounds so horribly unappealing so I just haven't forced myself to get on it. The perk is that the weather is FINALLY getting better so hopefully a lot more outside rides can become a thing.

Running wasn't all that much, but I did not skip a single run day this month, so I'm really happy with that win. Along those lines, I actually didn't miss a single day in April, so another win there.

I did a mindfulness challenge in the MF app and while I technically completed it the first day of May due to schedule problems, I did complete it. It meant a lot of yoga, but I probably needed it.

I still don't have a lot of goals on the horizon - not doing that half in May I tossed around doing - glad I didn't sign up for it - but I did give myself a bit more structure in May. I've already gotten back in the pool once, so baby steps.

Race #1 of the Season: Salt Lake City 5K

... or maybe it's the Salt Lake City Marathon 5K. Not exactly sure. 

Regardless, I was supposed to run the half. Some Skirt sisters from out of town were coming in to run it and I thought it would be fun and a way to check out the local race scene ... and then I bruised my tailbone two weeks into training. And then messed up my thumb. And I didn't really run.

So, down to the 5K it was, and B decided to run it with me.

I found out the day before that Jessi and Kim also dropped down to the 10K from the half (and that they didn't realize I had actually signed up - oops), due to training fiascos of their own - I think time with Kim and an Achilles or calf flare with Jessi. In any case, we all decided we'd try to meet up beforehand for a photo (along with Anastasia, another Skirt sister who actually lives south of SLC).

Race morning comes and B and I drive down to the city. Since we were doing the 5K and not the half, we had a loop course as opposed to a point-to-point, so that made our lives easier. And we were thinking no gear check, but thankfully Anastasia cleared that up for us (which is good, because sweatshirts were very nice to put back on post-race).

We all figured out where we were and then met up for a photo.

From left: Kim, Jessi, me, Anastasia. Yes I'm tall.

After the photo, we split up since I needed to go to the bathroom and hit up gear check, but we got back in time for the start of the 10K (we went off 10 minutes later).

B and I decided we'd run together. He was maybe thinking sub-:10 per mile which I was realistically thinking was NOT going to happen (and it didn't). But still, we kept the walk breaks to a minimum and ran as best as we could.

A little over a mile in, we ran past Jessi and Kim who were walking the 10K (due to the aforementioned leg thing for Jessi) - I came up behind and hugged them and then ran off ... and Jessi got a picture in the process.

Oh B and his calves ...

A little after this point, the two race courses diverged and we did a little lollipop loop around a park before heading back from whence we came. We were getting passed by people who did the bike tour (cold morning for that), but it was going pretty well otherwise. I had to do one last walk break right before the finish, but I was also able to kick better than B at the end, beating him by a whole three seconds.

Final Stats:

Time: 32:28

11/40 AG (F35-39)

57/425 gender

202/749 overall

Not our best race, definitely not our worst ... and a fun way to spend the morning. 

Clearly after we got our sweats back.