DISNEY EXPEDITION EVEREST CHALLENGE

This was my first Disney event and true to form, Disney delivered. It was well organized, well staffed, entertaining and fun! The challenge took place at Animal Kingdom and consisted of a 5k race through the park, an obstacle course and a scavenger hunt.




I felt great going into the race but I was still really nervous about my knee. I just kept telling myself if I could run after a swim and bike last weekend, I could surely do just the run portion. We started out very quickly around an 8mm hoping to get ahead of the crowd. I got the "twinge" in my knee around the half mile mark but walking was not even an option. I kept going and within a few minutes I was in the groove- it was awesome! I have missed running so much and the first two miles of the race gave me my fix. My legs felt so strong and fast it was like they had little motors :o) We were blowing past people like they were standing still and the race seemed quick, too.

Then I hit the 2.5 mile mark and the uncomfortable twinge became a stabbing pain. My pace slowed and the last .25 mile was tough. I kept in mind it was only 2 or 3 minutes of my entire life (that always keeps me going) and we finished in 27:10! What?! A PR with my lame knee, on a weaving hilly course? Guess all that speed work on the treadmill did pay off :o)

Mile 1 - 8:23
Mile 2 - 8:38
Mile 3 - 9:06
Avg - 8:42

I didn't have much time to rejoice in my PR though, the obstacle course was next. THe first of four obstacles was climbing over 3 high beams. They ranged in height from about 4'5" to 4'. I'm glad I'm tall, I hopped right over with no issues. Next up was the rope climb, the balance beam (which is pretty tricky for wobbly legs after 5K) then the army crawl which was my least favorite.

We jogged the scavenger hunt and I have to admit I could've done without it. It wasn't quite as fun as I thought. By the time we started the hunt it was 8:30 and very dark so that made things difficult. We finished the whole race in 57:XX which seems like a good time. Race results have not been posted yet so I'm anxiously awaiting our official standings. After the race we got our cool compass medals, some ice for my knee (I was ready to cry by then) and rode Everest before heading back to the hotel.

There were almost 4000 athletes and 11 waves - we were wave 10. That is my first of two complaints for this event. We started 45 minutes after the first wave which was nice because the weather was cooler but that was the only positive. By that point, most of the first waves were doing the scavenger hunt along the run course so they were getting in the way. Also, by the time we got to the scavenger hunt all the "helpers" had left the course and were at the after party. My other complaint is the timing. The race time is cumulative and my triathlon-minded brain thought there would be splits, at least for the 5k portion. So I ran a PR but it won't show in the results. Hmph.

Overall, it really was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it. I'm in for next year :o)

UPDATE: OUR OFFICIAL TIME IS 52:48! We missed an answer on the scavenger hunt but out of 147 teams that also missed one, we placed 10th. I'm pretty happy with that :o)

much ado about nothing

I was SUPPOSED to run 6 miles today but since my knee is still on injured reserve, I had to skip it.

I miss running and this gorgeous weather is making me really want to get outside and run.

The inaugural Disney Expedition Everest 5K is on Saturday though so a run is in my future :o)

Doing what I can

Swim: 1500
5 x 100 :15
4 x 50 side kicks :15
4 x 50 drills
single arm
catch up
hand drag
kickboard
sighting
5 x 100 steady
100 cool down

Strength:

Pretty decent swim but it was C-O-L-D! So cold that I still had goosebumps by then end of my set. It was also infested with band aids *gag* and an enormous bug that could've been the creature from the blue lagoon. Other than that, the swim was fine. The strength training was same as usual, not too much to talk about.

Sand Key Triathlon Report

Time: 1:21:04

Well, it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be but there were definitely some surprises. The weather was ideal and actually a little chilly before the swim. It stayed overcast until the finish so we didn't have the brutal Florida sun beating down on us. There were 700 athletes which made it my biggest race to date and the transition area was enormous! Lee and I got there very early which ensured us awesome spots on our respective racks. The staff and volunteers were outstanding and the course was really nice. I didn't think I would do this race again because of the bridges and sandy run course but I enjoyed it so much! It's certainly on my tri schedule next year!

One little issue that had me worried was the 700 athletes and only 6 swim waves - do the math. Yeah, the swim was a little crowded. It's funny because I went into this race expecting a difficult bike and run. My swims have been great so I figured the swim would be my best event. I was really wrong. I don't know what happened in the swim. I know I can swim that distance with no problem and at a pretty quick clip but today was miserable - almost DNF worthy! I wasn't even halfway and was in full hyperventilate mode. Nothing was helping and I ended up doing the backstroke for a little which I've never even attempted before, that's how desperate I was! I refocused and told myself there is no way out of this but to swim. Period. So I swam. I had a nice rhythm by the end but I was VERY happy to be out of the water.

It was 300 yards through the sand to T1 which I managed to run the whole way. That was a nice indicator of how well my oly training has been going. I'm certainly building my endurance because usually after the swims I'm ready to collapse but today I was on the move! Whoot! I felt GREAT once I was out of the water and I was amped for the rest of the race. The bike mount was flawless and I was in my shoes ready to go in no time. The bike itself was amazing! I wasn't pushing at max because of my knee but I kept at 19-23 mph on the flats, 11-14 mph on the climbs and 37.5 mph on my descents. The only time I passed anyone was on the climbs so I felt really good that I was best at the most difficult point. For most of the flats I was getting passed by all the males that started a few waves after me. Certainly not my usual "on your left" race but I knew *I* was riding really well for me and my gimpy knee. I never saw anyone in my age group which made me think my swim screwed me and I was last. After that atrocious swim I sure as hell knew I wasn't in the lead! LOL

The dismount was perfect, T2 was smooth and before I knew it I was on the run. I won't lie, I was nervous about my knee on the run. It bothered me a few times but I told it to shut up because I wasn't listening anyway ;) I kept an easy pace just under 10mm and I was very pleased that I never had to walk. My knee would hurt at moments then be okay. I think the fact that almost 2 miles of the course was soft, packed sand really saved my knee. I'm happiest about the run. It went so much better than I could have hoped. Yay!

I'm glad I did the race and very happy with my standings - 6th of 18 in my age group so I wasn't actually bringing up the rear :o) Overall, I was in the top 40% which is a drop from my usual 30% but considering my knee issues, it's not too bad. The best part was my recovery, I felt excellent right after the race! If my knee would have been at 100% I absolutely could have kept running or biking. My training has really paid off. Clearly, some open water swims need to be added to my training but in my book today was a great success!

*BIG CONGRATS TO MY TRIATHLETE HUBBY AND HIS AMAZING PERFORMANCE - FIRST TRI TODAY AND HE KILLED IT! 1:15:59*

meh...

Swim: 1200
4 x 100 easy :15
4 x 50 drills :20
one arm
catch up
sighting
finger drag
4 x 100 steady :20
4 x 25 sprint :30
100 cool down

Not such a bad swim but I was exhausted all day and it showed in my workout. I'm so thankful it was a short swim. I actually remembered to wear a watch this time so I finally timed my sprints - 22 seconds! I'm not sure how impressive that really is but I was pretty happy.

Last night was my first run of the week. I was hoping for an easy, slow 4 miles but after .5 mile, my knee hurt again. I'm very sad. I stopped riding my bike and running all week, I went to the doctor and nothing was wrong so what is going on? I'm frustrated and upset. Tomorrow is the Sand Key Tri and I can't run. Lee thinks I should skip it because we have the Disney Expedition Everest 5K next weekend. I really want to do the Tri but I know it will be painful and I'll pay for it all week. My plan (as dumb as it is) is to race tomorrow and only swim next week to be ready for the 5k.

Tomorrow should be interesting.

Easy swim

Swim: 1400
5 x 100 :15
4 x 25 kb :10
2 x 200 (100 easy/100 steady) :20
4 x 25 sprint :30
300 cool down

Shannon met me this morning for our swim and it was nice to have company. The swim seemed short and the sprints at the end were fun. It's nice to swim with that much force even though it's only for 25 yards. Since Shannon had a run planned later and I still can't run, we used the elliptical for 35 minutes and called it a day.

Good news

Just came back from Dr. Jeff's office and happy to report no major injury! Yay! I took today off and am feeling much better. Tomorrow is a swim and run but I may pass on the run just to be safe.

Getting tired of the negative posts BUT

I have a new problem. I finally got my bike perfectly fitted and my swim fine tuned so I thought I was good to go but I have another "injury." It's pretty nasty, too. This time the cleats are the culprit. Phooey!

So here's the deal... the pedals come with cleats in three different float degrees (range of motion) - 0, 4.5, 9. I chose the middle degree of 4.5 which seemed like a good choice. I had plenty of help a the bike shop and I felt as though I was pretty informed but I guess these things are trial and error. For me, lots of error :o)

I've mentioned before that I am a goofy runner with knock-knees and therein lies the issue. With my feet locked into position on the pedals, my legs are going to have to get used to moving a little differently than the way they have been for the last oh, say, 30 years! LOL My right knee is perfectly fine but my left knee is a whole different story. I noticed the pain after my last brick but hadn't pinpointed the cause until my brick the other day (yes, the same day I ended up walking back with one shoe in hand - good times).

Saturday I was supposed to run 6 miles and my knee seemed better that morning so off I went. I felt GREAT and was so happy to finally feel like a runner again and then I hit the 2.5 mile mark. I was at the cross walk at this point (I ran a lot of side streets to up my miles) and as I crossed the street I felt like I had a knife under my knee cap. I'm not talking an ache at this point but a severe shooting pain with every step. I walked to the club house then tried to run again. The pain was just as bad but I really wanted to run so I "gimp ran" until I hit mile 3. Very, very, very dumb. I walked/ran to the Trinity entrance but had to walk the entire way back home. I have been in pain and limping ever since. I will say today is better but I think a doctor's visit is in order this week. The strange thing is that I can bend my knee if I'm sitting but it hurts when I try to walk. It's almost like the muscle/tendon/whatever that is hurting had to work so differently on the bike it can't remember how it functioned when I walk.

I got new cleats with the 9 degree float which I'm really, really hoping will fix this problem. If my foot has a little more room to move maybe my knee can be positioned the way it wants. Tomorrow is a swim and run but I'm going to have to cut the run. This is an easy taper week since Sand Key is Sunday. I hope I can get at least one run in before the race but I certainly will not push through the pain ever again.

Two... Thousand... Yards

Swim: 2000
4 x 100 easy :15
6 x 50 drills :15
-catch up
-one arm
2 x 200 steady :20
3 x 100 build :15
2 x 200 steady :20
200 c/d

Well, it was certainly not as bad as I anticipated. In fact, it was pretty easy. On a scale of 1-10, it was about a 7/8. I definitely pushed myself and was breathing heavy but I didn't have that swimming/drowning frantic feeling. I suppose that's a good thing :o)

More than anything it was b-o-r-i-n-g. Thank goodness for all the changes, though. If I had to swim the whole 2000 yards freestyle, I would have gone looney. Being under water for 45 minutes with no noise or distraction forces me to be in my own mind - probably not the safest place to hang out for an extended length of time *hehe*

Race for the Cure

On October 4th, my running girl's and I will be joining the Do Good Divas Team in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K. I have always been inspired by this wonderful organization because my grandmother passed away from the disease when my mother was only 9 years old. For a long-time however, I thought the only race was the 3-day which I could never participate in. I am very excited to be a part of the 5K which I was shocked to find out is in it's 10th year (!) Where have I been?!

Now I am more inspired than ever since my aunt was recently diagnosed. She underwent a mastectomy a few weeks ago and begins her chemotherapy next week. I will run in honor of her fighting spirit (and warped sense of humor) - I Love you Auntie Jo!

If you would like to support the cause and make a donation you can do so at...

The Do Good Divas Donation Page.

Another great website to check out is Save The Tatas.

They have fun products and a portion of every sale of ta-tas® Brand breast cancer t-shirts & accessories (and all other ta-tas® products)goes to support breast cancer research and education.

uh oh.

Bike: 16 miles
avg - 17.6
max - 23.4

Run: pathetic

Crap. I had an epiphany today and not a good one. Lee and I finished our 16 mile bike ride then I headed out for what was supposed to be a two mile run at an easy pace. I needed to run and I also wanted to test out my new racing Mizuno's. The first mile was great and I felt strong and steady. Then I hit the turn around point and it got very bad, very fast. My left knee started to kill me (I'll get back to that in a moment) and my spirit just broke. I walked a bit then began to run but stopped when I realized that the minor friction point I was feeling on my right foot was now bleeding. And yes, it showed through the top of my NEW, CLEAN shoe! Grrr! I was more annoyed by that than the pain! LOL

It was at that moment that I hit the proverbial wall. I realized that this is not fun for me anymore. I used to love training - the sweat, the challenge, the accomplishment. Now I almost dread it - I have maybe one or two good training days a week. I've been telling myself for over a month to just get through this funk, "the drive will come back, just keep pushing... just get through October then you can take a break... you can't stop now, you'll lose everything you've worked for... you have to do better than last time."

But today as I limped back to the trail with one bare foot, I felt totally defeated. The worst part is, I only have myself to blame. At the end of this month, I will have done 11 races in 9 months (12 had the MPM tri not been cancelled) including two back-to-back, Saturday/Sunday race weekends. I realize that this is probably not unusual for seasoned athletes but this is my first year racing... EVER. The Gasparilla 15K was my first race, three months later I did my first triathlon and my 5th tri is next weekend. I'm exhausted. I'm not throwing a pity party here but it's time for me to get real and be honest with myself. I was a much better runner six months ago then I am today. That is a sad realization because the cross training should have helped my running not hurt it. I recently read an article about burn-out and one example really hit a cord with me. The author said that if you are an endurance athlete but you are winded and fatigued walking upstairs, you are not training correctly and you've burned out. Ah-ha, that would explain why I've had such terrible runs.

So there's my answer, now what? Sand Key is next weekend and Longleaf is 5 weeks away. What do I do? For starters, I've decided to just "do" Sand Key - no pressure, no times, just finish the b*tch. As for Longleaf, it's time to let the oly go. It really kills me to to type that. In fact, I deleted it right after I typed it the first time. It just seems like the smart thing to do, though. I'm going to continue with my oly training schedule because it's perfect for me and actually not very hard.

So that's where I am. I know this is a miserable post but I when I started this blog is wasn't just to recap the good days. I know it will all be fine and I'm glad I've learned this lesson now, while it's still early and I don't have any "big" races on the line. Next tri season I will train smarter.

As for my knee, I'm pretty certain it has something to do with my new clips. Having my feet locked into position is going to take some time for my muscles to get used to. I'm crossing my fingers that a small adjustment to the pedals will remedy this problem.

Bridges again

Sunday after Leland's triathlon (he did great, by the way) Lee and I headed to Sand Key. We went over the Sand Key bridge to Memorial Causeway and back, then over and back Sand Key one more time. The ride went pretty well. The fitting I had the Friday before was a big success and I was much more comfortable in the aero position. I need one more small tweak then I should be set for awhile. I played with my gears on the climbs but I still have no real strategy for race day. I practiced mounting/dismounting with my shoes already clipped to the bike and had no problems. I have yet to attempt "the flying squirrel" mount and I think that may be entirely too advanced for me. If the name is any indication of the kind of coordination involved, it's best that I just play it safe. At least I'm more comfortable with the clips, that's a big improvement. I actually prefer to put my shoes on the bike first then slip the shoes on my feet while I ride. It sounds weird but I've been practicing it so much it's actually become easier then trying to clip the damn shoes into the pedals! But that's just typical me, doing things the hard way.

Back to my point... the bridges were okay. The last 20 feet to the top feel like forever but there is plenty of recovery time between them. Oh and it was my first ride with my new saddle. Yikes, that was painful. It definitely relieved the soft tissue pressure point but it just sort of moved it to another area. ugh. It takes some time to get used to a new seat so I'll need a few more rides before I can make my final decision.

dialed in

I spent this morning at Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium doing a fit assessment. EVERYTHING was measured and adjusted accordingly. It was very thorough and I feel like my neck/shoulder issue may be a thing of the past - woohoo!

I also got a new seat to try out - the ISM ADAMO RACING SADDLE. It has a pretty interesting design and I'm hoping it will offer some relief.

Nice swim

Swim: 1500
5 x 100/50 kb :20
600 freestyle :20
2 x 50 - 25 fast/25 easy
100 cool down

Pretty good swim. A little tougher than the last few swims because I changed it a bit. The 600 was supposed to be 3 x 200 :20 but really, a 20 second recovery? It's more of a waste of time than recovery. The 600 was followed by two 25 sprints and they were fast! I felt like I was being pushed through the water! Then I realized I was... by me! Yeah, it nice to feel that strong :o) Thank goodness I only had two sprints though, any more and I would've been in trouble.

Tonight's a run with the girls and I'm really hoping for a decent run. I still have not had a good outdoor run and I'm getting very worried. The sandy 5k beach run at Sand Key is just around the corner.

Traumatized

Bike: 18 miles
avg - 17.8
max - 23

Let me just preface this post by saying that I avoid public restrooms like the plague. Seriously, I am a germ-a-phobe to the Nth degree and I will risk a UTI over using a public toilet any day. Little did I know that today I would have an experience that would scar me for life. I got to the trail and realized I had to go. ACK! For a brief second I thought of driving to the nearby bike shop to use their facilities but it seemed ridiculous so I made my way to the Port-o-Potty. If this thing was changed every 90 days we were on day 89. I swear to you the 60 seconds of my life I spent in that "bathroom" will haunt me in my nightmares. I exited the Port-o-Hell and doused myself in sanitizer. Rest assured that next time I will make the drive to the bike shop.

So that's how my ride began.

The first 25 minutes of the ride were a little slow due to wind and achy legs from last night's run (yeah, I still need to change my schedule) but it was nice. Not too hot, surprisingly. There was another snake incident *shudder* and I actually got hit in the face by a dragonfly! At 20 mph it definitely stung but it was pretty funny and probably funnier to see my reaction - a little bit flailing and a lot of expletives :o)

The second half of the ride was much better. The wind was hard to pinpoint but after the turnaround I figured it was from the southeast. I was still getting some serious gusts from the side but I did have a slight tailwind. The first half of the ride I was at 16 - 17 mph and on the way back it was 20 - 21 mph.

I love my clips and I even practiced my transition dismount. I only have two weeks to perfect it so I need all the help I can get. Today went pretty well but there is a lot of room for improvement still.

Easy does it

Strength
Leg Curl 30 x 15 x 2; 40 x 8
Leg Ext 30 x 15 x 2. 45 x 8
Bench Press 10 x 15 x 2; 20 x 8
DB Row 15 x 15 x 3
DB Curl 12 x 15 x 3; 15 x 8
Tricep Ext 35 x 15 x 2; 45 x 8

I was very cautious going into today's workout. I figured lighter is better to avoid a repeat of last week. I simply cannot afford that kind of setback. By the 12th rep I was starting to feel the burn but it still seemed too easy. I just have to remember that my weight days are considered "strength maintenance" so I do need to take it easy.

Controlling my intensity has been the hardest part for me. All the tri training I've been doing since I first started in April has been at max intensity. Which is not a healthy or very smart way to train - it's a good way to burnout and I'm not going to get a peak performance on race day. So I just have to stick to the schedule and I'll be better off in the long run... figuratively AND literally :o) hehe

Easy-Peasy Swim

Swim: 1500
400 easy
4 x 50 kick :10
6 x 50 drills :15
-one arm
-hand drag
-catch-up
-sighting
-one arm
-sighting
5 x 100 steady :15
100 c/d

The only obstacle today was frigid water but after a few laps, all was good. I'm happy to report I had no neck/shoulder issues :o) I'm sure it will be a little tight & achy tomorrow, that's what happened after the last swim. It was another good swim but it did feel a little easy. I'm beginning to have serious doubts about the Olympic distance, though. My plan is to just keep training for the oly and make my final decision at the end of the month. Hopefully, the Sand Key Tri will help my decision. It's a longer sprint and if I struggle through the swim, I don't think the oly is realistic. I just don't want to commit to something that I'm not really ready for. I want to keep it fun.