OWS Challenge & Aquathlon: Oh Buoy!

After my rather...umm....dramatic swim at Redman 70.3 last year I decided that I would like to gain more experience with open water swimming in a race situation.  I got a big dose of experience at the Texas Man Tri in May (hello chop!) and I eagerly signed up for the Open Water Swim Challenge & Aquathlon in mid-July.  This race is produced by our friends at Tri-Now and I wanted to do it last year, but it was cancelled thanks to the spring floods.  I chose the Olympic distance, which consisted of a 1500m swim followed by a 10K run.  Because life is...well...life, I didn't get a chance to do any open water swims between Texas Man and the Aquathlon, but that is okay as my goal was getting a good experience in a race environment rather than swimming a fast race.  There were no bikes at this event and I felt like I was forgetting something as Mr K and I headed out on race morning.  It reminded of just how much "stuff" bicycles add when they are involved.

Big smiles from Mr K, Marshall, and Keith

The weather wreaked havoc on the race crew with the big storms that came through the evening before the race.  Thankfully Frank and Marshall and the crew worked tirelessly and were able to get things prepared our race to go off on time.  The weather was pretty good for a July morning  and they water was just about perfect without any chop. There were several swim distances that day including 750m, 1500m, and 4K and there were various buoys noting each distance.  Since I was swimming the 1500m, I would do two of the smaller loops.

My swim wave went off first and I just worked on getting into a good groove.  There area was big enough that there was not too crowded and I never did swim into too much traffic. The course was set up like a big square that we basically had to swim out to.  I made it "up" the first side of the square and turned at the buoy and began to look for the next buoy.  We were swimming directly into the sun at this point and my goggles had fogged up, so I was having a really difficult time seeing.  I could not see the buoy, but I was hoping the others around me could and I could follow their lead for a little bit.  It was then that I heard swimmers talking to each other and I realized that they couldn't see the buoy either.  I wasn't sure what to do at this point, but remained calm and tried to work out a plan.  I could see the a couple of kayaks ahead and I knew that I could pause there long enough to clear my goggles.  The kayaks kept moving away from me and I could hear that they were also trying to tell people where the swim course was.  Eventually I reached them just in time to hear one of them say "I am the buoy! I am the buoy!" I was very thankful to make that turn once I reached them and cleared my goggles.  Now to finish that loop and do it one more time.  Thankfully, by the time we came around the second time the buoy had been placed and things seemed a little more normal.

Big smiles on the run (Pic: Carin S.)

I happily got out of the water and headed on to transition for my run.  I did not know what to expect as I have never gone directly from swimming to running like that.  It was a challenge to get going at first, but I settled into a groove.  The run course was two loops of the park path - park of it on sidewalk and part of it was a crushed granite type surface.  There was a good amount of shade, which I was very thankful for.  I didn't pay too much attention to my pace, rather ran by feel and kept things nice and even.  I was happy to see that my pace was trending faster with each mile while my heart rate was staying fairly controlled.  I had not been doing any speed work at this point in training and I wasn't really sure what to expect. Because it was two loops, I saw many runner faces multiple times and it was fun to cheer on my friends who were also running.

I promise there were more than 2 of us (okay, so there were 3...)

I gave it my best for a strong finish (and my fastest mile of the race), but honestly had no idea how I did. While I feel fairly confident about my run, I know that I am not a fast swimmer so I had no idea how I placed amongst the others.  I didn't see any other women my age on the run course, so I took that to be a good sign.  I was thrilled when I checked the results and found that I was first in my age group.  (Never mind the slight detail that there were only 3 people in my age group...) with a total time of 1:32:30 - 37:00 for the swim, 52:56 for the run, and 2:32 in transition.

This race was super fun and provided another good experience in the open water - add "can't find my buoy" to my list another with high chop and lost nose clip. I always come away from these wishing that I was able to spend more time in the water and knowing that I am better for having another one under my belt.

St Paddy's Day Tri: Not A Rookie Anymore

Last March I became a triathlete when I finished the St Paddy's Day Triathlon.  I am not sure that I ever had that much fun on a race course and I was officially hooked on triathlons. I had some great success in my "rookie" year with two podium finishes and completing my first half iron distance tri.  I grew so much in my half iron training and I worked hard to keep that base in the offseason.  I couldn't wait to tri again and I was super fired up to kickoff the season at this year's St Paddy's Day Tri.  My expectations for myself had changed quite a bit in a year.  Last year, I was most concerned about finishing and having a good time.  Mission Accomplished.  However, I also noticed that I finished seventh in my age group last year and I made it a goal to improve upon that this year.  I wasn't sure if I could make the podium, but I sure wanted to give it my best.

Race peeps: Marci, Fred, me, Mr K, Keith, Nikki (Pic: Mary)

Last year, I was lucky to have Mr K there to cheer me on.  This year, he raced with me and he was cool enough to let me borrow his tri bike (trusty Blue) so we could have one last race together.  We would have many friends racing alongside us that day too: Keith, Nikki, Marci, and Fred - to name a few.  While I didn't have quite the entourage that I had last year, we still had a good group of friends there to cheer us on.  Hard to ask for a better day!

It is always a good day when Byron shows up!

Swim 300m
I never know how to seed myself in a pool swim.  Seed myself too high and I worry that I'll be "that girl" who is slowing everyone down because she clearly seeded herself too high.  But on the other hand, seed myself too low and then not feel the "urgency" to push from those around me. I think that I did okay this time because I ended up starting after Keith and Erik and in front of Fred and Marci.  I I certainly felt more comfortable knowing all of the swimmers around me.  It took forever before it was our turn, but we had fun talking and cutting up poolside.  My goal for the swim was to get through it smoothly and without any drama (see Redman 70.3).  Fred and I went back and forth for a while - he would catch me, I would get away from him, he would catch me, etc. I got out of the pool in 7:27 - smoothly and without drama.  Of course, looking back on it now I think that I could have pushed a little bit more, but I will chalk it up as experience.

Made it out of the pool (Pic: Mary)

Bike 13.5 miles
It is always a little disorienting coming out of the water and I was a bit surprised to hear people I know yelling my name as I ran into T1.  How fun is that though?  Gives me a burst of energy!  I got in and out of T1 in 1:26, which I feel pretty good about.  I am always trying to make my transition times better as I know that races are won and lost here.  I was happy to be on the bike as I feel it is an area in which I have made huge progress in over the last year.  Last year the bike course was 2 loops of a big square-ish area with the back "leg" of the square being hilly.  This year, it was 3 loops of one leg of the square - you guessed it - the hilly leg.  It was challenging, but repeating it that many times allowed me to become super familiar with the proper gearing.  Blue and I had a blast and I was grateful for Mr K for allowing us to have one final swan song together before I returned it to him permanently.  I love tucking down in aero and going fast!  Mary was the ultimate photographer/cheerleader for all of us and it was great to see her face on one of the loops. I rode the course in 45:14 (18 mph according to my watch).  I felt very pleased with my ride - faster than last year on a tougher course.

Blue and Me in our swan song (Pic: Mary)

Run 5K 
I rolled my bike into T2 and searched for my spot.  The transition area always looks so different with all of the bikes and people gone.  I spotted a bag that looked just like mine and I ran towards it...only to discover that it wasn't my bag.  This is not a common bag either, in fact, I have never seen another one like it!  I was thrown for a loop and stood still and frantically searched for my bag.  Of course, my eyes kept falling on the wrong bag.  It felt like I was standing there forever! I finally located it and tried to hurry to make up for lost time.  I got out of T2 in 2:15.  I have to work on that one next time, haha.  Running is my favorite and it was time to tango!  My buddy, Stude (The Encourager - remember him?) had "warned" me that he would be waiting for me on the run so I expected to see him.  What I didn't expect to see was Stude dressed in his infamous gorilla outfit.  I might have laughed a little longer if I didn't feel so out of breath from running hard.  The run course is an out and back and it was pretty hilarious to see the expressions on the other runners' faces as they ran towards us and spotted a gorilla running.  Eventually told me to keep on running hard and he peeled off to go and harass support other runners.  I spotted Mary, who had a bird's eye view, up on a bridge.  She told me that Erik was not too far ahead of me - I tried like heck, but I never did catch him.  I was so thankful to see the turn around and I was ready to head on back to the finish line.  I had one more encounter with my gorilla friend before the final push to the finish.  Last one, fast one is always my goal, and I pulled it off as my last mile was my fastest.  I finished the run in 24:09.  According to my watch, the run course was 3 miles even (instead of 3.1) so my run pace is not quite as impressive as it looks when calculated as 3.1 miles, but I'll take an 8:06 average pace any day!

Finally a picture where I look like I'm running! (Pic: Mary)

Total time 1:20:33
My total race time nearly three minutes faster than last year - my 2016 PR steak lives on!  Even better than that, it was good enough to earn me 2nd place in my age group and a coveted spot on the podium.  Man, I love it when that happens!  And just like that, I am a rookie no more.  I learned so much during my first season of triathlon and this race gave me some good ideas of what to focus on in the coming season.  I love that there are always new challenges to be found and new goals to be set.

(Pic: Mary)

The best part of racing is being able hang out with my buddies before and after the race.  It seems like everyone comes out to cheer for St Paddy's Tri as it is the unofficial kick-off of the racing season.  I got such a boost of energy from seeing everyone, I am so glad that I decided to give tri a try last year. I can't wait to see what my second season holds!

Cooper Sprint Tri: Dress Rehearsal

I have had the most fun this summer training for Redman 70.3 Half Ironman.  I usually enjoy training, but this has just been such a blast.  I can think of only a few runs and bike rides that were just awful, and most of that had to do with the heat.  I am almost sad to see the training come to an end as race day approaches.  I intend to devote a blog post to training highlights, hopefully I can share that before race day on September 26.  As much as I've been practicing swimming, biking, and running (and often running right off the bike), I have not had many opportunities to practice putting it all together. I feel that I have improved a great deal since my last triathlon in April and I wanted to get another shot at doing everything in a race environment.  Fortunately for me, there was a sprint tri at the Cooper Center in McKinney this past weekend.  Looks like I found myself a dress rehearsal!

I arrived just after transition opened at 6:00 am as I wanted to have plenty of time to set up my area and get a feel for the race layout.  There were no other bikes the bike rack designated for my bib number so I was able to get the end spot!  The transition area was small-ish so it didn't matter too much, but I was excited to have a spot that would be so easy to find.  I wandered around a bit and visited with some friends as I waited for the race to start.  The weather was wonderful and the temperatures were in the upper 60s before the race started.  I shivered a little bit and wished for a moment that I had brought a light jacket.  Such a change when we have grown accustomed to much hotter weather!  Normally I would hang out with Mr K, but his mom-Linda was visiting us and they were coming a bit later.  No reason to wake her up in the middle of the night to get to the race so early. I had plenty of time to swim a warm-up lap so I took full advantage of it.  The pool at the Cooper Center is simply divine - outdoors and heated with wide, 50 meter lanes.  I did not want to get out after my warm-up because I knew how chilly I would be waiting for the race to start.

Swim
I never have time goals for the swim because I'm more interested in keeping a smooth, easy pace and good form.  This swim was 350 meters, so 7 lengths in the gorgeous pool.  I got very fortunate as I did not have too many people directly ahead of or behind me.  I was passed once and it happened to be at the same time I was trying to get around a slower swimmer.  Definitely not "smooth" in those moments, but I was able to recover my little pocket of space and swim on.

I was really enjoying myself and was a little bit sad when the swim was finished.  I could see Mr K and Linda on the side of the pool and gave them a small wave as I started the last lap.  I have to find time to get back out to that pool for a swim.  My official time for the 350m was 8:51, not blazing fast but important to note that at my last tri in April I swam 400m in 11:26.  Looks like my training this summer has made a difference.  Even better, I really enjoyed it and felt as if I met my goal of a steady and smooth pace.

Bike
One of my big goals for the day was to practice transitions.  My set-up worked well for me as well as thinking of top-to-bottom and vice versa when it came to switching from swim gear to bike gear.  My time in transition (T1) was 1:39.  Still not as fast as I would like, but way faster than the 3:00 from my April race.  The bike course consisted of two, six mile loops and had some pretty decent "hills" on the route.  I say "hills" because they are not really all that bad compared with other parts of town, but still enough of an incline to be challenging when put in a single six mile loop.  I got a good start and focused on pedaling hard and following all of the triathlon rules about passing and proper distance between bikes.

I didn't have any time goals here either, I just wanted to ride hard and see what I could do.  I was able to wave at Mr K and Linda as I came through the end of the first loop.  It was so nice to have them there! I passed several people, especially on the second loop which was more congested as most people were finished with the swim by this point.  I was only passed once, which felt pretty good!  My ride was over before I knew it - 37:27 was my time and my average speed was 19.23 mph. Of all the improvements that I have made this summer, I think that my bike fitness has been the biggest!  So exciting!

Run
My heart felt so happy as I headed back into transition because I was about to run - my favorite!!  I got in and out with a T2 time of 2:06, which was almost 30 seconds faster than my last race.  Not super fast, but getting better!  I didn't really know what to expect on the run as I have not been doing speed work in the same way that I usually do.  I have been training by heart rate the summer and that has meant bringing my run paces back a little bit in order to stay in my training zone.  Again, I had no goals for this other than to practice all of the transitions and test out my gear so I ran by feel.  I was passed early into the run by a 13 year old boy.  This guy looked like a pro - even handled the aide station so smoothly!  He ran beautiful negative splits and ended up about a minute faster than me on the run and 1st place in the 14 and under age group.  It is so impressive to see all the kids race at these events, they are really good at it too!  I was surprised to see that my 1st mile paced at 8:54 - a great start and that certainly inspired me to keep on working.

Much like the bike course, there are a decent amount of "hills" on the run.  I passed a few more people and was enjoying the cooler temperatures - no doubt that was helping my pacing as I had trained in temperatures that were over 20 degrees warmer much of the time.  There was a good deal of shade on this course as parts of it followed the running path at the Cooper Center. Mile two chimed on my watch  at 8:36 - yay for negative splits!  This run felt pretty short and I decided to push the pace when there was just under a mile to go.  I got a boost with a nice downhill coming into mile 3 and also from the sounds of the crowd and the race announcer.  Back to the Cooper track and through the finish line in 26:30 - not a shabby 5K!  My last mile came in at 8:16 so super yay for negative splits!  My run was a minute or so slower than my last triathlon in April, but I feel like the whole picture is much more balanced now.  In April I felt like a runner who also swam and rode a bike, but at this race I felt like a triathlete.

I had no idea how I did compared to the rest of the women in my age group.  The wonderful thing about triathlon is that everyone's age is written on their calf so you know who is around you.  I didn't see many women on the course as this race was 60-something percent men (according to the race website) and I certainly didn't see anyone with my age on their leg.  I was stalking the race results and was beyond thrilled when I saw my name in second place in my age group!  Looks like we would be delaying the post race brunch a bit as we stuck around for the awards.  It is hard to beat standing on a podium, it is one of those things that doesn't come around all that frequently, and I milked every moment of it!

My dress rehearsal race was a huge success.  While the distances were only a fraction of what I will put together on September 26 at Redman 70.3, it gave me a shot of confidence and also a glimpse of just how much fun that day is going to be - I am fired up now!!

Baylor Tom Landry Tri: Time to Tri Again

I had an absolute blast at the St Paddy's Day Tri, my first triathlon, on March 15.  I really enjoyed the new challenge that it presented and I jumped at the opportunity to try it again, this time at the Baylor Tom Landry Tri presented by our friends at Tri-Now Endurance on April 19.  The swim and bike were both a little bit longer than the St Paddy's Day race and I thought it was a great chance to bump up those distances.  We also love supporting Coach Frank and Debra and looked forward to participating at one of their events instead of volunteering.

Mary: Finish Line Coordinator Extraordinaire

Swim
Last year Mr K, Keith, Becky, and James all trained together for their spring goal races (Ironman Texas 70.3 for Mr K, Keith, and Becky and Ironman Texas for James).  They seemed to have the most fun together training and racing and I was finally able to be a part of their little club as we waited together for the swim to start.  The swim was 400 meters (100 meters longer than the St Paddy's swim), but I was a little relieved to see that the lanes were 25 meters instead of 50 meters. Those 50 meter lanes felt so loooonnnnng!!  Of course, 25 meter lanes meant 2-way swimming in the lanes and therefore more traffic.  The first swimmers hit the pool in a frenzy!  So fast!  It was a little bit nerve-wracking watching them go as there were so many near collisions!  Thankfully, the pace slowed as more and more swimmers entered the pool.  I watched James, Keith, Mr K, and Becky take off and then it was my turn.  My swim during my 1st tri wasn't bad, but I wanted to feel even better about it during my 2nd attempt.  As I got to the end of each lane, I squared up and got a good start at the next length - thinking only of one lap at a time.  Sometime during the 2nd or 3rd lap I noticed that my timing chip felt pretty loose on my ankle.  I was not about to lose my timing chip in the bottom of the pool and I stopped at the end of one of the lanes and attempted to re-affix it.  This happened one other time during the swim and a couple of lane later I stopped and tightened it as much as I could.  The other people swimming around me did not bother me, but I was pleased to find myself in a "pocket" of low traffic for the second half of the swim.  I was happy to see the last lane and gave it my best shot to add some speed to my closing lap.  My time ended at 11:26, certainly nothing to write home about - but I felt good about the swim and that was the goal for the day.

Hanging with Coach Frank and the Tri-Now Gang

Bike
The distance from the pool to the transition area seemed fairly long, but much of it was on grass which beats running barefoot on pavement.  It felt like I was there forever, trying to get my bolero on wet arms and tying my shoes - but my total time was 3:01.  I'm looking forward to those transitions getting speedier with practice.  The beginning of the bike course took us over some of the famous Dallas potholes, but that didn't last too long.  I am still learning how hard I can go on the bike, so I gave it my best.  It is a good feeling to pass people and I didn't get passed until near the end.  The bike course was 16 miles and an out-and-back so I was able to prepare for what would be coming my way on the return.  It was also fun to look for my friends as they headed back to T2.  We rode into the wind on the outbound trip and there were hills both ways.  I'm not really in bike shape right now and I'm certainly not in hill shape so I was okay with my time of 55:47 (17.2 mph).

Run
I felt like my T2 time was faster than T1, and it was at 2:30.  The girl next to me came in as I was tying my shoes and was out of there just ahead of me.  She would end up winning our age group and her transition time was a blazing 48 seconds!  I have so much to learn and practice! I passed her in the first quarter mile of the run and she cheered "yay 40 year old!"  I love being able to see what age group people are in by looking at the back of their leg - tells me who my competition is!  Running off the bike is never easy, but I try to go into it with an open mind.  I am usually surprised to see that I am running faster than I feel like I am.  The run course was also an out-and-back and it is such a mental boost to hit the turn around - home stretch, baby!  I saw Keith, Mr K, and Becky out there and that also gave me a huge boost.  The final half mile or so was on a beautiful, winding track in a garden-type area.  It took us past the finish line where I saw Mary (finish line coordinator extraordinaire) and the rest of the gang waiting for me.  That last little bit felt like it took forever and I focused on passing anyone who was in my path.  Finally, finally the finish line was in sight and I ran as hard as I could towards it for a 5K time of 25:39 - a full minute faster than my run at St Paddy's Day Tri.  I was so proud of my run, it was not that far off of my 5K PR and it was the fastest in my age group by 2 minutes!  I received my medal from Mary and felt quite grateful to be done.  We had a great time taking pictures with the Dallas BIG letters (I am a sucker for these things - well done, Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau) and chowing down on burgers and chips.

I was curious about the final results as this race had a smaller field and I did not notice anyone else in my age group ahead of me (unless they were wayyyyy ahead of me!).  Imagine my surprise when I found that I was 2nd place in my age group!  The cool thing about triathlons is that you get to stand on a real podium when you receive your award!  I was over the moon with excitement!  A podium finish in my second triathlon!

To say that this was a confidence boost would be an understatement.  I have so much to learn and practice, but I feel really good about my beginnings in the world of triathlon.  I am so looking forward to extending my distances and fine tuning my training.  I can't wait to do it again!