As I said in my last post, June kind of took a weird detour. So while I may have started out the month with some goals, they took a sharp left turn a little over halfway through. Still, I have numbers:
Swimming: 5500m (3.42 mi)
Cycling: 109.92 mi
Running: 27.24 mi
Lifting: 10 sessions (2:47)
Other: one session ice skating (:45), three hikes (3:50), one stint race volunteering (3:00), two yoga sessions (:46)
Clearly ... I didn't hit my goals (15k, 200mi, 50mi). Which I'm not upset about. Well, a little with swimming. That's fallen by the wayside some which I'm not terribly happy about.
I've done some longer rides and rides with friends (most of that mileage came on two rides) which I would love to continue on with as the summer goes on.
Running ... well ... I still like it so I'm still doing it, but I'm not doing much of it and I'm not running from the house. Because I kind of hate running from the house.
The best part of June was actually probably getting out on skates again. Hopefully by the end of the summer you'll actually see me play hockey once more. Hopefully.
As far as July goals go ... they are to:
- hike!
- try to get some more climbing in on the bike
- keep lifting
- try to swim at least once a week (and preferably open water)
- not run from the house if can be helped
I think those are quite manageable if I do say so myself ...
The fitness adventures of two Ironman triathletes
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Race #6 of the Season: Tri on the Plains
... a.k.a. one of the weirdest race experiences I've ever had.
Let's back up.
When I was considering my race season, I threw a whole bunch of random races I'd never done before. Let's go different, I thought. There were two different sprint tris I was looking at on June 24th - one was in Steamboat (Tri the Boat) and the other one was in Sterling (Tri on the Plains). I thought the one out east would be better and oh hey look, it's in a state park with another one on the way so I can hit two on the trip.* I registered for it right before the last price increase just so I actually did ... which was probably the first sign I shouldn't have registered in the first place.
I was attempting to put myself through a mini tri camp the weekend prior to the race. I scheduled everything and it was great. I had it go from Sunday through Wednesday ... and started it off with an almost 40 mile ride with a lot of climbing with friends on Saturday.
I slept in later than I wanted on Sunday (would have been so late had it been an *actual* tri camp), but I still went out for my run as planned. During said run ... which was later in the morning and therefore hotter ... and also fairly miserable because running just isn't where I want it to be ... I let my mind wander. I came to the conclusion that while I'm enjoying moving my body, I'm not enjoying actual, focused training. And part of that might be because I don't have a big, scary, purposeful goal on the horizon.
As a result, I would let myself just enjoy the rest of the summer. Go hike more. Not stress about everything I eat or do and OMG how am I going to fit in this run now when it's 100 degrees because I didn't wake up early enough to do so?. I in theory hoped to get through the rest of tri camp and the race and June ... but that didn't end up happening.
I knew I have enough base fitness to get through a sprint triathlon, so on the 23rd, we packed up and drove the few hours out to Sterling. I picked up my packet. I had my standard breakfast-for-dinner. I got decent sleep.
Sunday morning, we woke up a bit later than ideal, but still with plenty of time to get to North Sterling State Park, where the race was being held. I attempted to eat a breakfast sandwich from 7-11 pre-race ... but that didn't work. A Bobo's bar closer to race time worked much better.
This race may have been the smallest race I've ever done.
Quite possibly the smallest transition I've ever seen. Plus awesome clouds.
Pre-race smiley.
I think there were maybe 50 people competing ... and that includes all the relay competitors. And that might be generous.
Walking to the swim.
Water was about 70 degrees, so not bad ... but the last time I'd been in open water was Santa Cruz ... so it took me a minute to get used to it. This picture was probably taken right as the water hit my back. I had my usual anxiety with the cold and my lungs and the water, but I bobbed my head and did a few practice strokes and figured I'd be fine once the race started (I've been around this block a lot).
There wasn't a lot of time from when we got in the water and when the race started - I didn't even have time to get relaxed enough to pee! The race director was explaining the course and went right into, "are you ready to race? Okay, 3, 2, 1, go!"
I started swimming and while everything was physically fine ... mentally ... race brain just wasn't kicking in. I was working on avoiding not being punched in the head (harder than you'd think with so few people racing ...), got out a ways (100ish yds according to Garmin) ... and stopped. Ostensibly to breast stroke for a second and sight (and notice that oh yay, one of the last people), because I did start back up for a second.
And then I stopped again and treaded water for a moment. I wasn't particularly enjoying myself and didn't particularly want to be last out of the water and just didn't particularly want to race. I just was not feeling it. So I made the decision to turn it.
As soon as I did, I felt lighter.
I swam back to the dock/shore, assuring the volunteers that I was fine. I told Brandon that I just wasn't feeling it and didn't want to continue and race and be miserable. I turned in my chip to Darrin from Racing Underground (who was providing the timing and whom I chatted with a bit pre-race) and waited for most people to start the bike before removing my things from transition.
We exited the park on the bike course and I did kind of regret not being out there on the bike, but other than that, had no regrets about pulling out.
I felt like I should regret the decision; I think Brandon was surprised at how okay I was at DNFing (really more of a false start).
******
I'm going to enjoy my summer. I've weeded out some races on the sidebar and the only two races I'm 100% for sure going to keep are the Milk Run (because I've paid for it) and the Blerch half because dude, fun! The others will probably not happen, but never say never, right?
I think I realized that I need a true mental break from triathlon and training. I've been doing it for 11 years and, if we're being honest with ourselves, seriously for seven or eight. With no true break.
I still believe I do want to race IRONMAN Wisconsin next year, but with the state of my head right now, there's no way I'll be able to show up to the start line adequately prepared, and I am not going to disrespect the race distance like that.
* I have a goal of hitting all of Colorado's state parks this year. I'm just about halfway through.
Let's back up.
When I was considering my race season, I threw a whole bunch of random races I'd never done before. Let's go different, I thought. There were two different sprint tris I was looking at on June 24th - one was in Steamboat (Tri the Boat) and the other one was in Sterling (Tri on the Plains). I thought the one out east would be better and oh hey look, it's in a state park with another one on the way so I can hit two on the trip.* I registered for it right before the last price increase just so I actually did ... which was probably the first sign I shouldn't have registered in the first place.
I was attempting to put myself through a mini tri camp the weekend prior to the race. I scheduled everything and it was great. I had it go from Sunday through Wednesday ... and started it off with an almost 40 mile ride with a lot of climbing with friends on Saturday.
I slept in later than I wanted on Sunday (would have been so late had it been an *actual* tri camp), but I still went out for my run as planned. During said run ... which was later in the morning and therefore hotter ... and also fairly miserable because running just isn't where I want it to be ... I let my mind wander. I came to the conclusion that while I'm enjoying moving my body, I'm not enjoying actual, focused training. And part of that might be because I don't have a big, scary, purposeful goal on the horizon.
As a result, I would let myself just enjoy the rest of the summer. Go hike more. Not stress about everything I eat or do and OMG how am I going to fit in this run now when it's 100 degrees because I didn't wake up early enough to do so?. I in theory hoped to get through the rest of tri camp and the race and June ... but that didn't end up happening.
I knew I have enough base fitness to get through a sprint triathlon, so on the 23rd, we packed up and drove the few hours out to Sterling. I picked up my packet. I had my standard breakfast-for-dinner. I got decent sleep.
Sunday morning, we woke up a bit later than ideal, but still with plenty of time to get to North Sterling State Park, where the race was being held. I attempted to eat a breakfast sandwich from 7-11 pre-race ... but that didn't work. A Bobo's bar closer to race time worked much better.
This race may have been the smallest race I've ever done.
Quite possibly the smallest transition I've ever seen. Plus awesome clouds.
Pre-race smiley.
I think there were maybe 50 people competing ... and that includes all the relay competitors. And that might be generous.
Walking to the swim.
Water was about 70 degrees, so not bad ... but the last time I'd been in open water was Santa Cruz ... so it took me a minute to get used to it. This picture was probably taken right as the water hit my back. I had my usual anxiety with the cold and my lungs and the water, but I bobbed my head and did a few practice strokes and figured I'd be fine once the race started (I've been around this block a lot).
There wasn't a lot of time from when we got in the water and when the race started - I didn't even have time to get relaxed enough to pee! The race director was explaining the course and went right into, "are you ready to race? Okay, 3, 2, 1, go!"
I started swimming and while everything was physically fine ... mentally ... race brain just wasn't kicking in. I was working on avoiding not being punched in the head (harder than you'd think with so few people racing ...), got out a ways (100ish yds according to Garmin) ... and stopped. Ostensibly to breast stroke for a second and sight (and notice that oh yay, one of the last people), because I did start back up for a second.
And then I stopped again and treaded water for a moment. I wasn't particularly enjoying myself and didn't particularly want to be last out of the water and just didn't particularly want to race. I just was not feeling it. So I made the decision to turn it.
As soon as I did, I felt lighter.
I swam back to the dock/shore, assuring the volunteers that I was fine. I told Brandon that I just wasn't feeling it and didn't want to continue and race and be miserable. I turned in my chip to Darrin from Racing Underground (who was providing the timing and whom I chatted with a bit pre-race) and waited for most people to start the bike before removing my things from transition.
We exited the park on the bike course and I did kind of regret not being out there on the bike, but other than that, had no regrets about pulling out.
I felt like I should regret the decision; I think Brandon was surprised at how okay I was at DNFing (really more of a false start).
******
I'm going to enjoy my summer. I've weeded out some races on the sidebar and the only two races I'm 100% for sure going to keep are the Milk Run (because I've paid for it) and the Blerch half because dude, fun! The others will probably not happen, but never say never, right?
I think I realized that I need a true mental break from triathlon and training. I've been doing it for 11 years and, if we're being honest with ourselves, seriously for seven or eight. With no true break.
I still believe I do want to race IRONMAN Wisconsin next year, but with the state of my head right now, there's no way I'll be able to show up to the start line adequately prepared, and I am not going to disrespect the race distance like that.
* I have a goal of hitting all of Colorado's state parks this year. I'm just about halfway through.
Friday, June 8, 2018
Race #5 of the Season: Skirt Sports 5K
... also known as the end of the Skirt Sports Ambassador Retreat, too.
My original plan with this race was to race it. I think in the beginning of the year I harbored hopes of PRing ... but I think my training made that unlikely and then the allergy disaster I went through a week or so ago made me question even racing it. Instead, I decided to pull a BolderBOULDER (and this race last year with the 10K) and find friends to run with instead and have fun.
So that is exactly what I did.
Pre-race selfie.
I started out with four other people - Erika, Jessi, Noelle, and Kristen - but soon realized we dropped Kristen. Well, no Skirt left behind, so I hung back (and actually went backward on the course) to wait for her to catch up.
Kristen found, we chatted and ran (and walked) the rest of the way.
Over-exaggerating my running stride for Jennifer taking pictures. Or skipping. But probably the former.
Since this race ended up being all about the #fun, I leaped my way across the finish line.
Finish line photos courtesy Jen Allen.
Final Stats:
Time: 46:18.5
27/34 division (F30-39)
79/131 overall
Definitely my slowest ever 5K, but like the BolderBOULDER this year, tops in terms of fun.
Afterward, it was time for photos and cake and helping with the 13er turnaround and then brunch.
Post-race selfie with my race buddy, Kristen.
With one of the many pieces of Kim and Jake's cake that I ate.
Selfie with Nicole.
Emily hula-hooping behind cheering Skirts.
Cheer tunnel we did for the BOP 13er finishers.
Such an amazing weekend and I can't wait for next year to be able to do it all again!
And maybe actually do the 13er ...
My original plan with this race was to race it. I think in the beginning of the year I harbored hopes of PRing ... but I think my training made that unlikely and then the allergy disaster I went through a week or so ago made me question even racing it. Instead, I decided to pull a BolderBOULDER (and this race last year with the 10K) and find friends to run with instead and have fun.
So that is exactly what I did.
Pre-race selfie.
I started out with four other people - Erika, Jessi, Noelle, and Kristen - but soon realized we dropped Kristen. Well, no Skirt left behind, so I hung back (and actually went backward on the course) to wait for her to catch up.
Kristen found, we chatted and ran (and walked) the rest of the way.
Over-exaggerating my running stride for Jennifer taking pictures. Or skipping. But probably the former.
Since this race ended up being all about the #fun, I leaped my way across the finish line.
Finish line photos courtesy Jen Allen.
Final Stats:
Time: 46:18.5
27/34 division (F30-39)
79/131 overall
Definitely my slowest ever 5K, but like the BolderBOULDER this year, tops in terms of fun.
Afterward, it was time for photos and cake and helping with the 13er turnaround and then brunch.
Post-race selfie with my race buddy, Kristen.
With one of the many pieces of Kim and Jake's cake that I ate.
Selfie with Nicole.
Emily hula-hooping behind cheering Skirts.
Cheer tunnel we did for the BOP 13er finishers.
Such an amazing weekend and I can't wait for next year to be able to do it all again!
And maybe actually do the 13er ...
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
2018 Skirt Sports Ambassador Retreat
This past weekend was the annual Skirt Sports Ambassador retreat and it was bigger than ever. Mostly because we have way more ambassadors than usual, but seriously. 200 women came out and it was an amazing weekend.
Friday, as usual, was the cocktail reception at the store. With so many people, however, we actually had to use bracelets and get liquor licenses and take over a parking lot. Crazy, I know.
So much wine.
Eating all the food.
See? So many Skirts.
Looking the other way.
Friday night was mostly social, but we did have Nicole talk as well as Noelle. Noelle shared a beautiful thing from Lisa Young-Morrissey, a fellow ambassador who recently passed away from cancer.
Skirt did some awards - people who most represent the brand's core values as well as some other random things. We were also treated to a fashion show from the future (with Fall 2018 product as well as a super sneak peek into Spring 2019) to get us all excited for what's coming next (and it is good!). Mostly, it was a great time to drink and eat and reconnect with old friends and make a lot of new ones.
Shenanigans with one of the empty magnums.
Saturday, we took over an event center in Westminster. We had three amazing speakers - Kara Berryman Burns, a fellow ambassador with an amazing story (featured on Nicole's podcast as well!), Mirna Valerio, a.k.a. the Mirnavator (here on Run This World with Nicole DeBoom), and Colleen Cannon, former pro triathlete and founder of Women's Quest (and oh hey, also on the podcast). Since we like to move, there was also some yoga sprinkled in.
There was a hike afterward too, but I skipped it due to having so much crap going on at home. I regret it a lot, though.
Taking over.
You can take the girls out of Brooklyn, but you can't take the Brooklyn out of the girls. Mirna on the left and Latoya on the right.
We finished everything up with the Skirt Sports 13er (and 10K and 5K) on Sunday as well as a post-race brunch, but I'll get to that in my race recap post.
******
I do want to give a shout out to all of the AMAZING companies that sponsored our retreat because it definitely would NOT have been possible without them!
- Kendall-Jackson and La Crema for the wine (and La Crema has one of my favorite Pinot noirs anyway ...).
- Ska Brewing for beer (which everyone else enjoyed immensely ...).
- The Tea Spot for tea Saturday morning as well as goody-bag stuff on Friday.
- Justin's Nut Butters for nut buttery goodness Saturday morning (and a goody bag insert).
- Noosa Yoghurt for helping to feed us Saturday morning.
- Kim and Jake's Cakes for ALL OF THE CAKE all weekend. I love Kim and Jake's. So much.
- Alpine Start Foods for providing us with coffee Saturday morning.
- MAD Greens for our delicious lunch on Saturday.
- Illegal Pete's for our taco bar dinner on Friday.
- Mychelle Dermaceuticals for the sunscreen in our goody bags.
- Boulder Clean for our mini detergent samples.
and, of course ...
- Skirt Sports for being so utterly fabulous of a company that I am so proud to represent.
Friday, as usual, was the cocktail reception at the store. With so many people, however, we actually had to use bracelets and get liquor licenses and take over a parking lot. Crazy, I know.
So much wine.
Eating all the food.
See? So many Skirts.
Looking the other way.
Friday night was mostly social, but we did have Nicole talk as well as Noelle. Noelle shared a beautiful thing from Lisa Young-Morrissey, a fellow ambassador who recently passed away from cancer.
Skirt did some awards - people who most represent the brand's core values as well as some other random things. We were also treated to a fashion show from the future (with Fall 2018 product as well as a super sneak peek into Spring 2019) to get us all excited for what's coming next (and it is good!). Mostly, it was a great time to drink and eat and reconnect with old friends and make a lot of new ones.
Shenanigans with one of the empty magnums.
Saturday, we took over an event center in Westminster. We had three amazing speakers - Kara Berryman Burns, a fellow ambassador with an amazing story (featured on Nicole's podcast as well!), Mirna Valerio, a.k.a. the Mirnavator (here on Run This World with Nicole DeBoom), and Colleen Cannon, former pro triathlete and founder of Women's Quest (and oh hey, also on the podcast). Since we like to move, there was also some yoga sprinkled in.
There was a hike afterward too, but I skipped it due to having so much crap going on at home. I regret it a lot, though.
Taking over.
You can take the girls out of Brooklyn, but you can't take the Brooklyn out of the girls. Mirna on the left and Latoya on the right.
We finished everything up with the Skirt Sports 13er (and 10K and 5K) on Sunday as well as a post-race brunch, but I'll get to that in my race recap post.
******
I do want to give a shout out to all of the AMAZING companies that sponsored our retreat because it definitely would NOT have been possible without them!
- Kendall-Jackson and La Crema for the wine (and La Crema has one of my favorite Pinot noirs anyway ...).
- Ska Brewing for beer (which everyone else enjoyed immensely ...).
- The Tea Spot for tea Saturday morning as well as goody-bag stuff on Friday.
- Justin's Nut Butters for nut buttery goodness Saturday morning (and a goody bag insert).
- Noosa Yoghurt for helping to feed us Saturday morning.
- Kim and Jake's Cakes for ALL OF THE CAKE all weekend. I love Kim and Jake's. So much.
- Alpine Start Foods for providing us with coffee Saturday morning.
- MAD Greens for our delicious lunch on Saturday.
- Illegal Pete's for our taco bar dinner on Friday.
- Mychelle Dermaceuticals for the sunscreen in our goody bags.
- Boulder Clean for our mini detergent samples.
and, of course ...
- Skirt Sports for being so utterly fabulous of a company that I am so proud to represent.
Friday, June 1, 2018
May Round-Up
I set some fairly ambitious goals this month and, well ... I kind of got close. Kind of.
Swimming: 11700m (7.27 mi)
Cycling: 110.67 mi
Running: 48.19 mi
Lifting: 11 sessions (3:22)
Other: five hikes (4:50), one session plyometrics (:16), one walk (2:00), two yoga sessions (:32)
I did hit my swim goal of 10000m. I should have surpassed it by a lot more, but I really didn't manage to swim much the last week and a half of May. Oops. It happens, I know, but still. Ugh.
I got halfway to my super ambitious 200 mile cycling goal. I didn't miss too many planned rides. However, when most of my rides are 10ish miles ... a big hairy goal gets a bit tricky.
I was so so so so sososososo close to hitting my 50 mile run goal and I even could have managed it one of the last two days in May, but we were in Las Vegas for a baby vacation and I really didn't want to stress about running and just wanted to enjoy vacation ... so that's what I did. Besides, if I hadn't have gotten sick (allergies?), I would have hit it no problem, so no point in dwelling on it.
Hiking season has clearly started, which I am super happy about.
June brings a few more races - Skirt Sports 5K this weekend, my first tri of the season later in the month - and hopefully a lot more miles. I'm going to up my swim goal to 15000m (should be easily doable) and try again for the bike (200 mi) and run (50 mi) goals. I was considering upping the run goal, but I was also doing a lot of longer runs in preparation for the BolderBOULDER ... and I'm not sure if I'm going to stay in the 7-8 mile range as a long run. We'll see I suppose ...
Swimming: 11700m (7.27 mi)
Cycling: 110.67 mi
Running: 48.19 mi
Lifting: 11 sessions (3:22)
Other: five hikes (4:50), one session plyometrics (:16), one walk (2:00), two yoga sessions (:32)
I did hit my swim goal of 10000m. I should have surpassed it by a lot more, but I really didn't manage to swim much the last week and a half of May. Oops. It happens, I know, but still. Ugh.
I got halfway to my super ambitious 200 mile cycling goal. I didn't miss too many planned rides. However, when most of my rides are 10ish miles ... a big hairy goal gets a bit tricky.
I was so so so so sososososo close to hitting my 50 mile run goal and I even could have managed it one of the last two days in May, but we were in Las Vegas for a baby vacation and I really didn't want to stress about running and just wanted to enjoy vacation ... so that's what I did. Besides, if I hadn't have gotten sick (allergies?), I would have hit it no problem, so no point in dwelling on it.
Hiking season has clearly started, which I am super happy about.
June brings a few more races - Skirt Sports 5K this weekend, my first tri of the season later in the month - and hopefully a lot more miles. I'm going to up my swim goal to 15000m (should be easily doable) and try again for the bike (200 mi) and run (50 mi) goals. I was considering upping the run goal, but I was also doing a lot of longer runs in preparation for the BolderBOULDER ... and I'm not sure if I'm going to stay in the 7-8 mile range as a long run. We'll see I suppose ...
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Race #4 of the Season: BolderBOULDER 10K
I totally forgot to do a race goals post last Friday ... but come on, for the BolderBOULDER, I don't race it. My goals were as such:
- all the fun
- plus 1:30
- cupcake
I hit every single one. Score.
Thank jeebus it was a casual race, too, as race morning was a shitshow. We always like to get up to Boulder before the roads close down and ideally wanted to leave the house no later than 5:15am. Yeeeah, we woke up at 5:30am. Out the door five minutes later.
(I think 35 minutes is a new personal record from getting to our house from Boulder and I didn't even really speed. Much. Promise.)
We did manage to get parked at the 29th Street shopping center just fine and got some breakfast at Starbucks. We headed down prior to the first wave to ideally see our friend Nic before she went off, but unfortunately missed her.
I got a text from Katie as we were considering starting in my wave (had to go off in mine since B's wave was earlier and I didn't want to get DQed for starting ahead of my wave) and ended up waiting for them. All in all, it ended up being a crew of 11 (10) of us that started the race.
Our usual pre-race selfie ... with Russ photobombing us.
From then on ... it was all the shenanigans. Seriously. Beer and slip 'n' slides and dancing and watermelon and Doritos and Otter Pops and cupcakes and bacon and swings and all the laughs.
Beers after the first slip 'n' slide.
I was totally jealous of Katie and the swing last year so I had to get on it this year.
Saw Skirt buddy Deb so had to get a picture with her! And we're apparently both in the same Free Flow Tank ...
Full-size freeze pops whaaaaaaat?
Hitting up the second slip 'n' slide.
8 out of 10 of the crew. Most with cupcakes. Mmm cupcakes.
All in all ... I have run a few half-marathons faster than I "ran" this BolderBOULDER, but in terms of fun? Totally a new PR.
Final Stats:
Time: 2:15:47.75*
482/496 division (F34)
21918/22953 gender
42995/44757 overall (as best I can tell)
* I rounded up. Also, somehow, despite starting and finishing the same time as the husband, my finishing time is like a minute slower. What sense that makes, I don't know.
- all the fun
- plus 1:30
- cupcake
I hit every single one. Score.
Thank jeebus it was a casual race, too, as race morning was a shitshow. We always like to get up to Boulder before the roads close down and ideally wanted to leave the house no later than 5:15am. Yeeeah, we woke up at 5:30am. Out the door five minutes later.
(I think 35 minutes is a new personal record from getting to our house from Boulder and I didn't even really speed. Much. Promise.)
We did manage to get parked at the 29th Street shopping center just fine and got some breakfast at Starbucks. We headed down prior to the first wave to ideally see our friend Nic before she went off, but unfortunately missed her.
I got a text from Katie as we were considering starting in my wave (had to go off in mine since B's wave was earlier and I didn't want to get DQed for starting ahead of my wave) and ended up waiting for them. All in all, it ended up being a crew of 11 (10) of us that started the race.
Our usual pre-race selfie ... with Russ photobombing us.
From then on ... it was all the shenanigans. Seriously. Beer and slip 'n' slides and dancing and watermelon and Doritos and Otter Pops and cupcakes and bacon and swings and all the laughs.
Beers after the first slip 'n' slide.
I was totally jealous of Katie and the swing last year so I had to get on it this year.
Saw Skirt buddy Deb so had to get a picture with her! And we're apparently both in the same Free Flow Tank ...
Full-size freeze pops whaaaaaaat?
Hitting up the second slip 'n' slide.
8 out of 10 of the crew. Most with cupcakes. Mmm cupcakes.
All in all ... I have run a few half-marathons faster than I "ran" this BolderBOULDER, but in terms of fun? Totally a new PR.
Final Stats:
Time: 2:15:47.75*
482/496 division (F34)
21918/22953 gender
42995/44757 overall (as best I can tell)
* I rounded up. Also, somehow, despite starting and finishing the same time as the husband, my finishing time is like a minute slower. What sense that makes, I don't know.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Race #3 of the Season: Barkin' Dog Duathlon
... or aging up sucks.
As I turn 35 this summer, I'm now in a new AG ... and am probably officially going to be comparatively worse for the next 15 years or so (unless I really kick my own ass into gear which ... trying).
Or better people are starting to show up and race the short course at Barkin' Dog. That could also be a possibility.
I'm not entirely sure I actually slept the night before, but I woke up fairly exhausted but on time (hooray!) to leave the house and go race. We got routed to a different parking lot this year, so it was almost a good mile walk down to transition. Since I have the state parks pass ... I should have just driven into the park and parked in the boating area ... maybe next time ...
Got set up, grabbed my packet ... and ended up finding a few Skirt sisters in Samm and Cassie. It was Cassie's first ever duathlon, so we helped explain some stuff, give advice ... tell her not to worry about the hill of death in the middle of the bike course ... the usual.
After that, it was a lot of standing around and waiting as the short course women were the absolute last wave to go off, but go off we did.
Start. I'm with all the crazy lime, Samm is in the Runners Roost kit to my right (if looking at photo; actually off my left shoulder), and there's a sliver of Cassie in a Stargaze Happy Girl on the other side of me.
Run 1:
The fact that I had to walk a bit up the hill of the first 2K run told me it was going to be a rough day as I'm pretty sure I didn't have to do the last time I did this race back in 2016. Dangit.
I also swear we ran a bit further down the sidewalk than that year, but that could have been my own perception due to struggling lungs already. Great.
Rounding the corner back to transition.
Time: 11:18 (4th division, 23rd gender, 48th overall)
T1:
Fairly uneventful, as per usual.
Time: :58 (2nd, 9th, 23rd)
Bike:
I forget exactly when Samm passed me on the run, but pass me she did. However, I was able to pass her back a few miles into the bike course. I hadn't ridden outside much leading into the race, but I wanted to push it on the bike, so push it I did.
I was able to see where Samm was on the backside of the tower loop - she was going in as I was coming out, so I knew she wasn't too far behind. I saw Cassie just about to turn up the giant hill of death as I turned back onto the main part of the park road, so I knew she was doing okay as well.
Unfortunately for me, no fastest AG bike split ... and that's okay, as I did the best as I could have done on that day.
Like a boss. Also lopsided helmet due to the buff I was wearing underneath for my ears. Oops.
Time: 38:56 (3rd, 20th, 40th)
T2:
Once again, in, out, gone as best I could.
"High"-fiving a little girl leaving transition. Why not, right? Also I look really tall as a result ...
Time: 1:11 (2nd, 20th, 37th)
Run 2:
Run 2 was a struggle and a half. I was heading over to the hill when I saw Samm come into trans, so I knew it was probably only going to be a matter of time until she caught me. I was walking way more than I would have liked, too.
(clearly hit my race goal of "pace well." clearly.)
Racing Underground changed up the run course this year to avoid extra foot traffic on the main park road, turning it into a straight out-and-back on the trails. I'm not sure whether I liked this more or less or neither.
In any case, my first mile was pretty slow AF (12:something), mostly due to me not being able to breathe.
Samm caught me not too long after that, and we stuck together for most of the rest of the run. She told me she was having some struggles herself - not knowing if she'd actually be able to finish the race. So, we mutually helped each other out - I helped her just keep going in general, and she helped me to a killer neg split (mile 2 11:something, mile 3 10:something).
We were nearing the part where we needed to turn off the path and head up the road to the finish when she had it and I didn't quite, so we split up and she beat me by about 45 seconds (to take third in our AG).
Time: 34:35 (4th, 36th, 67th)
Overall Stats:
Time: 1:27:00
4/5 division (F35-39)
23/60 gender
48/107 overall
Post-race selfie. My thoughts exactly.
The real reason I race: Flippin' Flapjacks.
Samm and I hung out a bit afterward, eating our pancakes, and then we biked back up to our cars. I packed up and busted ass to drive back into the park, as I wanted to try to see Cassie finish. We saw her starting up the hill on the second run as we were running down to the finish, so I knew there'd be a chance.
Unfortunately, I saw her walking back to trans with her pancakes as I drove into the parking lot. I was able to chat with her a bit post-race, though, to see how it went and all of that. She tripped at one point on the second run, so she had a bit of road rash from that, and her bike got tipped over in trans so her derailleur was a bit screwed up, making shifting difficult, but she survived and is not totally done with multisport for good, so I'm calling it a win.
*********
And, since I've done this race thrice now, it's comparison time!
Time 2014: 1:27:28
Time 2016: 1:21:31
Time 2018: 1:27:00
Difference: quite a bit slower than 2016, but still faster than the first time. And the first time had arguably the easiest bike out of all of them. Not complaining since I totally wasn't really trained.
Run 1 2014: 10:14
Run 1 2016: 10:32
Run 1 2018: 11:18
Difference: so slow. I'M WORKING ON IT.
T1 2014: 1:10
T1 2016: 1:02
T1 2018: :58
Difference: well, I keep improving at something. Also, this might be my first ever sub-:60 transition time. Score!
Bike 2014: 42:56
Bike 2016: 38:10
Bike 2018: 38:56
Difference: wow, this is where I lost the least time. I'm kind of impressed, honestly. I think it's just a lot of accumulated bike miles in my legs. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
T2 2014: 1:09
T2 2016: 1:04
T2 2018: 1:11
Difference: ... and I lost time here. *shrugs*
Run 2 2014: 31:57
Run 2 2016: 30:41
Run 2 2018: 34:35
Difference: a lot. The other area where I bled a lot of time. Again, working on it.
I'm considering doing this race again next year (as I really do enjoy it), but as a relay with Samm. I guess she really wants one of the AG champion pint glasses (which I got in 2014), and they only go one deep for short course (unlike long course, where they go three deep). She would run and I would bike. I think we would crush it, so that's probably next year. Watch out for Team Skirt!
As I turn 35 this summer, I'm now in a new AG ... and am probably officially going to be comparatively worse for the next 15 years or so (unless I really kick my own ass into gear which ... trying).
Or better people are starting to show up and race the short course at Barkin' Dog. That could also be a possibility.
I'm not entirely sure I actually slept the night before, but I woke up fairly exhausted but on time (hooray!) to leave the house and go race. We got routed to a different parking lot this year, so it was almost a good mile walk down to transition. Since I have the state parks pass ... I should have just driven into the park and parked in the boating area ... maybe next time ...
Got set up, grabbed my packet ... and ended up finding a few Skirt sisters in Samm and Cassie. It was Cassie's first ever duathlon, so we helped explain some stuff, give advice ... tell her not to worry about the hill of death in the middle of the bike course ... the usual.
After that, it was a lot of standing around and waiting as the short course women were the absolute last wave to go off, but go off we did.
Start. I'm with all the crazy lime, Samm is in the Runners Roost kit to my right (if looking at photo; actually off my left shoulder), and there's a sliver of Cassie in a Stargaze Happy Girl on the other side of me.
Run 1:
The fact that I had to walk a bit up the hill of the first 2K run told me it was going to be a rough day as I'm pretty sure I didn't have to do the last time I did this race back in 2016. Dangit.
I also swear we ran a bit further down the sidewalk than that year, but that could have been my own perception due to struggling lungs already. Great.
Rounding the corner back to transition.
Time: 11:18 (4th division, 23rd gender, 48th overall)
T1:
Fairly uneventful, as per usual.
Time: :58 (2nd, 9th, 23rd)
Bike:
I forget exactly when Samm passed me on the run, but pass me she did. However, I was able to pass her back a few miles into the bike course. I hadn't ridden outside much leading into the race, but I wanted to push it on the bike, so push it I did.
I was able to see where Samm was on the backside of the tower loop - she was going in as I was coming out, so I knew she wasn't too far behind. I saw Cassie just about to turn up the giant hill of death as I turned back onto the main part of the park road, so I knew she was doing okay as well.
Unfortunately for me, no fastest AG bike split ... and that's okay, as I did the best as I could have done on that day.
Like a boss. Also lopsided helmet due to the buff I was wearing underneath for my ears. Oops.
Time: 38:56 (3rd, 20th, 40th)
T2:
Once again, in, out, gone as best I could.
"High"-fiving a little girl leaving transition. Why not, right? Also I look really tall as a result ...
Time: 1:11 (2nd, 20th, 37th)
Run 2:
Run 2 was a struggle and a half. I was heading over to the hill when I saw Samm come into trans, so I knew it was probably only going to be a matter of time until she caught me. I was walking way more than I would have liked, too.
(clearly hit my race goal of "pace well." clearly.)
Racing Underground changed up the run course this year to avoid extra foot traffic on the main park road, turning it into a straight out-and-back on the trails. I'm not sure whether I liked this more or less or neither.
In any case, my first mile was pretty slow AF (12:something), mostly due to me not being able to breathe.
Samm caught me not too long after that, and we stuck together for most of the rest of the run. She told me she was having some struggles herself - not knowing if she'd actually be able to finish the race. So, we mutually helped each other out - I helped her just keep going in general, and she helped me to a killer neg split (mile 2 11:something, mile 3 10:something).
We were nearing the part where we needed to turn off the path and head up the road to the finish when she had it and I didn't quite, so we split up and she beat me by about 45 seconds (to take third in our AG).
Time: 34:35 (4th, 36th, 67th)
Overall Stats:
Time: 1:27:00
4/5 division (F35-39)
23/60 gender
48/107 overall
Post-race selfie. My thoughts exactly.
The real reason I race: Flippin' Flapjacks.
Samm and I hung out a bit afterward, eating our pancakes, and then we biked back up to our cars. I packed up and busted ass to drive back into the park, as I wanted to try to see Cassie finish. We saw her starting up the hill on the second run as we were running down to the finish, so I knew there'd be a chance.
Unfortunately, I saw her walking back to trans with her pancakes as I drove into the parking lot. I was able to chat with her a bit post-race, though, to see how it went and all of that. She tripped at one point on the second run, so she had a bit of road rash from that, and her bike got tipped over in trans so her derailleur was a bit screwed up, making shifting difficult, but she survived and is not totally done with multisport for good, so I'm calling it a win.
*********
And, since I've done this race thrice now, it's comparison time!
Time 2014: 1:27:28
Time 2016: 1:21:31
Time 2018: 1:27:00
Difference: quite a bit slower than 2016, but still faster than the first time. And the first time had arguably the easiest bike out of all of them. Not complaining since I totally wasn't really trained.
Run 1 2014: 10:14
Run 1 2016: 10:32
Run 1 2018: 11:18
Difference: so slow. I'M WORKING ON IT.
T1 2014: 1:10
T1 2016: 1:02
T1 2018: :58
Difference: well, I keep improving at something. Also, this might be my first ever sub-:60 transition time. Score!
Bike 2014: 42:56
Bike 2016: 38:10
Bike 2018: 38:56
Difference: wow, this is where I lost the least time. I'm kind of impressed, honestly. I think it's just a lot of accumulated bike miles in my legs. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
T2 2014: 1:09
T2 2016: 1:04
T2 2018: 1:11
Difference: ... and I lost time here. *shrugs*
Run 2 2014: 31:57
Run 2 2016: 30:41
Run 2 2018: 34:35
Difference: a lot. The other area where I bled a lot of time. Again, working on it.
I'm considering doing this race again next year (as I really do enjoy it), but as a relay with Samm. I guess she really wants one of the AG champion pint glasses (which I got in 2014), and they only go one deep for short course (unlike long course, where they go three deep). She would run and I would bike. I think we would crush it, so that's probably next year. Watch out for Team Skirt!
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