St Paddy's Tri: Swim, Bike, Run (from the gorilla)

Texas weather is a cruel mistress and she will get you every time.  Like when it is 42 degrees and windy for your first triathlon of the year and 80 and sunny for your trail half a week later....(but that is another story).  St Paddy's Tri is a favorite because it is the unofficial start of tri season around here and because it is my tri-versary.  Can you believe I am starting my third season already? That first tri two years ago is still one of my favorite race days.

Swim 

The worst thing about a pool swim is waiting around forever before it is my turn to go.  I never know how to seed myself and I always end up being one of the last of my group of friends to go.  I didn't mind quite as much this day because I was hoping that it would warm up a few degrees while we were in the warm pool area waiting to start.  The longer I waited, the more anxious I got. I really just wanted to have a good race and standing around thinking about it was causing my energy level to rise. Mr K was there with me and was super calm, which helped pass the time. Waiting is hard, I just needed to get to work! As far as pool swims goes, it was probably my fastest one yet and was 30 seconds faster than last year - so yay for that! I passed two people too, which felt pretty good. But....my swim is so much slower than the rest of my race and my race swim was much slower than my training pace.  I have a lot of work to do, and I got to work on it the very next day.  It can be a little overwhelming to think about, but I'm also excited about the possibilities.

300m

7:01

6th place AG

With E - Gorilla Handler and Photographer Extraordinaire!

Bike 

I braced myself as I ran out of that warm pool and into the cold air.  I was surprised to find that it wasn't as cold as I thought that it would be.  Adrenaline is a pretty amazing thing, right? It also helps that all of my peeps are standing right there screaming their heads off at me.  I always expect them to be there, yet their voices still shock me a little as climbing out of the pool is a bit disorienting. My transition times were improving last season, but I'm always a little rusty in the first race.  I also forgot to pull my hat out of my backpack, so it took a little bit longer as it was buried in the bottom of the bag (of course).  It also took a bit more time to get my jacket and gloves on so my T1 ended up being 2:22 - definitely something to work on this year.  I grabbed my bike and ran out of there and just as I clipped in I noticed that I didn't fasten my left shoe.  I made a quick decision to let it go since the bike ride would be pretty short.  I'm still trying to figure out why this ride felt so difficult.  It felt like a struggle for the entire time, I never felt like I found my groove.  Looking back, I realized that the cold weather probably did not help too much.  Mr K passed me within the first five miles and I tried to keep him within my sights, but he got away from me. I was held up passing people a few times too, it seemed like they were always at to corners.  The whole thing was pretty frustrating and I know that I have a much better bike in me. I was pretty happy to rack that bike and get on with the run. 

12 miles

43:34

3rd place AG

Run

I had a much better transition time of 1:49 in T2, apparently it is much easier to throw off half of your clothes and put on some running shoes.  Mr K headed out just before me and Baha and Goat were near Run Out screaming at me to go run hard and catch him.  I never did catch him, in fact, we ended up with the exact same run time.  I couldn't really feel my feet for the first couple of miles and I was starting to think that maybe I should have kept my jacket.  No time to think of that, just run MK.  It felt like I'd been running for a while when I looked at my watch to see that exactly a half mile had passed...womp.  Time to settle in and just do the work.  This course always takes me off guard a little bit because it looks so flat on the elevation chart, but there are a few gentle climbs and false flats that make things challenging.  I knew that Stude (The Encourager) and Erin were out there somewhere and I got a huge laugh when I saw him dressed in his gorilla suit.  My friends make this race the most fun!

I never know what the first mile pace is going to look like until it beeps on my watch - I was happy to see 8:13.  I focused on getting to the turn around because knowing that I'm running towards the finish is always a huge mental boost to me.  On the way back, my Gorilla hopped on the trail with me and gave me some great words of encouragement.  My favorite part might have been mile 2 when Gorilla Stude shouted "what time is it, MK?!" and I hollered "LOFO time!" (LOFO is last one, fast one and it is one of my favorite things to do - although it hurts a little bit in the moment). My mile 2 came up at 8:08 so I knew that I had some work to do.  I got super jealous of Gorilla when he took off across the grass and I had to stay on the path. Finally, I could see the finish and hear my people yelling and the announcer encouraging me to hurry and finish so that those people would be quiet. I am the most proud of this run and yes, I got that LOFO - 7:49 for that last mile.

5K

24:16

3rd place AG

Total time: 1:19:04

3rd place AG

Any day that I can race, laugh, and earn a spot on the podium is a darned fine day in my book.  Not to mention the post race coffee and grub with friends around a huge table - this might be my favorite part of the whole thing! Yay for the return of my favorite season....Tri Season!

(Pictures by E and Goat)

Cowtown Half: #workharder

Cowtown Half is one of my favorite races and it is a highlight of my racing calendar.  I haven't missed a year since my first time running it in 2009 and boy, do we have some stories together! That first time is still one of the coldest races I've ever run. Then there was the year of the terrible traffic, when I kicked Mr K out of the car on the freeway so he could get to the marathon start in time.  Two years ago there was snow on the ground and I hit the "peak" of my running plateau.  And then last year...the year that I ran 1:49:55 and after five years got that 1:50 monkey off my back.  It really has been the best of times and the worst of times, all rolled into one race.

I didn't really know what to expect this year as I had a strong running base, but had not done any consistent speedwork.  I certainly had not been working as hard as I was last year when I had that magical race day.  The Cowtown isn't the easiest course, but I knew that anything was possible - a glance at my race history confirmed that.  The weather was just perfectly chilly and the wind was fairly low, so I decided to give it a shot and see what happened.

When in Cowtown...

One of the reasons that this race is one of my favorites is because I get to see so many of "my people" there. Mr K and I were in corral 2 and we got off to a smooth start, I love it when that happens.  I also love it when they play Bruno Mars as I run out - showtime!!  Mr K slipped away fairly quickly and I went about the business of settling into my race.  Cowtown is a favorite because it always seems like such a community event.  I spotted Stude (The Encourager) around mile 2 and he shouted "Last 4 Fast Four, MK." I gotta tell you, this bit of encouragement might have saved my race because I'm not so sure I would have pushed as hard without the reminder.

I passed the first 5K in 27:29 with an average pace of 8:51 and I saw Marlon somewhere after the 5K mark.  I met Marlon years ago on Daily Mile and then later in person when we were in OKC for the half marathon.  He was running the marathon and went on to have a strong day.  I stuck with him for a little bit as I know that he is such a strong runner and would set a consistent pace, but eventually I lost sight of him.  Not long after that I spotted Jessica (of @JessRunsBlessed fame).  She had a great day too!

I have a fever.....#cowbell

The 10K mat was somewhere in here and I crossed it in 55:14, average pace 8:53 - nice and consistent.  I saw Ninja just before the turn on Exchange Street.  It was just for a split second, but it was so nice to see one of my tribe and I knew that he got up early and made a long drive to be there to cheer everyone on.  That always lifts my spirits!  That turn on Exchange Street is my favorite part of the race, it is hard to top that view of the Stockyards and the crowds there are so spirited.  It passes by way too quickly and then it is back to work.

I was running pretty even splits, but I just wasn't "feeling it." It was like I couldn't quite settle into the race and lots of little things were annoying me.  My pace slipped a little bit in here and I worked to refocus before we got to the big climb up the Main Street bridge.  I knew that as soon as I got over the hill it would be time for "last four, fast four." Years ago I discovered that the easiest way for me to get up that hill is to run it one lamppost at a time.  It is just so much easier to focus on the increment right in front of me rather than look all the way to the top.  I think that is a great metaphor for life too!  About halfway up the hill I spotted Tini who gave me a huge cheer and a big high five - she is the best!

Mr K had another strong day! (Pic: Andy W)

Now it was time to get to work on a strong finish, time to focus and see if I could save my race.  My pace had started to slip a bit before the hill and I knew that this was my chance to regroup for a strong finish.  As I passed the split for the marathon I was thankful that I was not running the full and I sent all my best wishes to my friends who were - gooooo Sandie and Drum!! I got to mile 11 at 1:37:58, averaging 8:54.

I know the end of this race well - slight up hill to mile 11, then a big downhill, cross the long bridge and then another slight downhill to mile 12.  The last mile of the race is like torture because you can see where you stated at the Will Rogers Center, but you have to go a mile around to the other side where the finish line is.  Four turns to the finish, I could hear the announcer and I could taste the finish line.  Why is it that this part feels like it takes days?

I finished in 1:55:12 with an average pace of 8:47.  That "last four, fast four" insured that I would have my second fastest Cowtown in the nine times that I had run it.  It always takes me a few days to process a race.  I walked away from this one with a new respect for the PR I ran there last year.  Hard work pays off and I earned that one - no fluke, no luck, just putting in the miles and the intensity.  I felt like I ran the best race I had for my current level of training, but I also feel like I have a faster half in me if I just work a little harder. You want to run faster? Work harder. You want to be stronger? Work harder.  There was a whole lot of good on this race day, but the best thing to come from it was a new commitment to work harder this spring.  My fire was relit, time to focus and embrace my new mantra.....work harder.