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!

Liberty 5K: Happy Runnerversary to Me!

The Liberty 5K holds a special place in my heart for many reasons. It is close to home and the only race that I know of that is held within the boundaries of my sleepy little suburb town. It is the first race in which I ever scored an age group award (2010) and it was my first race ever (2008)--thus my Runnerversary.

A couple of weeks ago the unofficial Beer and Bagels trail group was out running at Knob Hill when it was mentioned that Erik and I would be running the Liberty 5K on July 2. It just so happens that a Groupon for the race came out via email the very same morning so we hatched a plan to run the race and then meet up at our house for a post race party. I was so excited to have a gathering at our house because we don't have people over very often and have never had a running gathering at the house. I was probably more excited about the social aspect of the day than the race itself. We all knew that it would be about a million degrees outside (I don't exaggerate too much) and that 5Ks are hard because they are so darned intense--short and hopefully fast.

It was great running a race so close to home because we didn't have to get up as early and still got to the race in plenty of time. We found our group quite easily plus a few more running friends who were there that day. The race didn't start until 8:00 (late for this time of year) and the sun was already beating down upon us...not a cloud in the sky or a breeze to be felt--it had to be close to 90 degrees. Soon enough we lined up and we were off and running. I don't run enough 5Ks and don't really know how to pace them very well, as evidenced by my splits (you are supposed to get faster as you go, not slower!). I just know that you are supposed to run really fast the whole 3.1 miles and it should probably feel like you might die. I started really fast and was already feeling tired by the 1st mile. I should note here that I was really hoping to defend my 2nd place age group trophy from last year and knew that I would have to run somewhere in the 25:00 range in order to place. After the 1st mile I saw that I was ahead of the necessary pace (good thing because there was no way I could maintain it) and knew that I could ease up a little bit in hopes of surviving until the end.


Finish line fun with Mark L.

Mile 2 was more of the same except and my pace slowed a bit, as I expected. I was still a little ahead of the needed pace to place and I felt pretty good about that. I did start to have some serious talks with myself because all I could think about was walking. I have never taken water from an aide station during a 5K, but I did today and I also enjoyed a sprinkler that was set up at this water stop. Mile 3 was a little bit slower still, and I had to tell myself that I had invested too much to slow down now. This is when I was wondering why I cared so much about a dumb trophy and really thought about mental toughness versus physical fatigue. I knew that I was physically tired, but also knew that I could rely on my mind to push me through those last little bits. The recurring thought...you have given too much to slow down now....think of the investment.

I crossed the finish line five seconds behind Erik and was so tired that I couldn't even find my will to try to surge past him today. It both hurt and felt good to stop running and water has never tasted so good.

Here are the numbers:
Mile 1: 7:53
Mile 2: 8:10
Mile 3: 8:20
last .18: 7:55
Total Miles: 3.18
Total Time: 25:50
Avg Pace: 8.07
2nd Place in Age Group


Michelle K & Michelle B with AG Trophies

I had a blast cheering for my friends, talking to old friends, and making new friends. It was even more fun to have a cheering section when the awards were presented. Michelle B, another Beer & Bagels running friend got 2nd place in her age group as well (I'm thrilled that we will never be in the same age group because that girl is FAST!). After the awards we all headed to the house where Erik was already hard at work on yummy waffles and mimosas. I loved having a house full of sweaty running friends. On Friday, I told Erik that I was hoping that this would become an annual tradition and I was thrilled when Michelle B. said almost the exact words "we should make this a tradition!". I always say that the best part of running is the people that I have met along the way, and this was a perfect example of that. I had no idea when I started running 3 years ago that my circle of friends would be expanded and enriched by so much.

I had such a fun time celebrating my Runnerversary. Later, when everyone was gone, I started thinking about that 1st race and how far I had come as a runner in those last 3 years. I looked up my results from the 2008 Liberty 5K and found that I ran that race in 34:41. I remember how my goal that day was to run the entire time and I remember how excited I was when I crossed the finish line. I had no intention of ever running any further than a 5K and had no idea that I would be completing my first 10K in just a month and a half and my first half marathon in a mere four months. I didn't have real running shoes and I wasn't even dressed like a runner...I should find a picture from that day so you can see. I get so wrapped up in looking at where I want to be next (faster, farther, etc) that I sometimes forget to take a look back and see how far I have come. This running life of mine is a good one indeed!

(Special thanks to Mark L., Corina, and Michelle B. for the great pics!)