St. Anthony's Triathlon

First of all, the event was incredibly organized.  For the size of the race, I expected some issues but it was great.  The expo was cool - a lot of awesome toys to drool over.  I did think the merch was overpriced but to be fair, I'm pretty frugal so everything is overpriced IMO.

Now the good stuff... RACE DAY! Surprisingly, I woke up that morning totally numb.  I was so terrified of the swim that I guess I just blocked out my emotions and was going through the motions.  However, once I got to the Bayside Bridge and my 3 ton SUV was being blown into the other lane by wind gusts... the fear came flooding back.  I got to the venue, overpaid for parking and screamed inside for the entire two block walk to transition.  Normally, the swims always make me nervous but this one had me utterly petrified.  That little voice inside my head (the one you're never supposed to ignore) now had a bull horn and was yelling "danger you idiot!"  I got in line for body marking with 100 of my closest friends and after 15 minutes, the news came... the swim was cancelled.  HALLELUJAH!  I'm sure feeling relieved probably makes me a bad triathlete but in my defense, you could almost hear a collective sigh of relief from the crowd as the news spread.  The pros still had to swim in the 3-4 foot seas so I lucked out and got to be a spectator and athlete for the race :o)  Oh and here's a fun little tidbit- the pros finished a swim that normally takes me 40 minutes in an average of 18 minutes!!!  They are all so incredible and it was truly an honor to be part of the same race as such elite athletes.  

 

FYI... waaaaay in the background is a yellow buoy, from that point to the sea wall is only ONE THIRD of the swim course.  Crazy, right?!

TI - heading out for 24 on the bike

Ok, enough gushing... 4 hours (yes, FOUR) after I arrived at the race it was finally my turn to start.  My plan for this race was to take it easy and enjoy the experience.  The bike course was interesting - a little ghetto, a little ritz, a lot of turns, some unexpected climbs, an unwelcome railroad track and too many annoying speed bumps, pot holes and paved crosswalks to count.  I made it a point not to ride aggressive and even stayed in a light gear.  I knew the run was going to kill me so I needed my legs as strong as possible.  Curious thing though, I just kept passing people!  I wasn't even trying but the only time I got passed for the entire 24 miles was by relays or hovercrafts (you know those sick bikes that make the "whoosh" and they go by).  For me the bike went well, dismount was flawless (if I do say so myself) on the slick, uneven bricks.  I started to run into transition but after about 30 yards decided walking the other 4 football fields to my rack was a better plan.  I had no issues finding my spot.  I can't say the same for a number of other athletes, including a few of the elite amateurs (hehe). 

T2 - time for the run

The run was unpleasant at best.  With my late start, it was now almost NOON.  Shade was sparse but the water stops were plentiful.  The route was through this amazing neighborhood with immaculately manicured homes and super supportive residents.  Several residents were even spraying athletes with hoses as we went by.  I was plugging along pretty well until mile 3 and then I started to get chills.  I wasn't sure at the time what that meant but I knew it wasn't good.  I wasn't nauseated or light-headed but I decided to err on the side of caution anyway.  I gagged down a Gu and got water at every mile.  The chills never went away but I felt fine otherwise.  I had a few teary moments though.  I couldn't help the overwhelming flood of emotions as I saw a blind man with his escort and a woman with a physical 'disability' (grrr, that word - she hardly looked 'dis-able' in the middle of a triathlon!). Those are the rare moments when you see how truly remarkable the human spirit is.  We are such amazing creations and it's a shame most of us don't take full advantage of our gifts.  But I digress...

The hubs met me at mile 5 and ran with me for a bit. It was nice because I was pretty bored at that point.  Then before I knew it, it was all over.  Crossed the finish, grabbed my medal and wandered aimlessly for ten minutes before I found my "fans." All that training and anxiety made for kind of an anti-climatic ending.  In the end it was just another race.

Now the real question... will I do it again next year?  

A small part of me wants to.  Without the swim, I don't think I experienced the real St. A's.   I kind of feel like a poser wearing my St A's merch.  On the other hand, I didn't really care for the race.  The longer distance was so boring and monotonous.  I know that sounds silly but at mile 20 on the bike I realized how much I enjoyed the fast pace of a sprint.  I'm doing another oly at the end of the year so maybe I'll change my tune.  The other major issue I had with this race was the size.  Although, it never felt crowded during the race, waiting around for FOUR hours was ridiculous.  By that point, I was hungry, the excitement had waned, my legs were sore from standing around and I was ready for nap not 30 miles of racing.  Who knows, though.  If the past year has taught me anything it's that a lot can change in twelve months ;o)   Right now, I'm glad I did it.  I'm proud of myself for not deferring when I had every excuse to.  I may not be the leanest, the strongest or the fastest but I never give up and that's not something a training schedule can give you.

must...sleep...

This is a training blog so I try to keep my personal life out of it.  This week, however, it's all come to an ugly, head-on collision.  Thanks to the craptastic economy, I've had to go back to work.  I say "back" to work but that's not really an accurate description.  I've been a mommy since my senior year of college so my Finance degree was never put to any use in the TEN years I have spent as a stay-at-home mom.  Not only have I had to dust off my "mommy-brain" to enter the working world, I am also entering a whole new field  - LAW.  Add three kids + their respective activities, an hour commute and a hubby that works evenings & Saturdays and you've got one exhausted woman.  I realize there are MANY women who juggle all this and my story is not new but it's new to me.  All of this change happened 6 days prior to my biggest race of the year - my biggest race EVER actually.  I'm pretty much a bundle of nerves and although I've managed to train this week despite the chaotic schedule, I'm completely drained.  The tank is on E.  I've tried to keep up my calories but I've fallen short.  I can't exactly excuse myself during a Foreign Corrupt Policies discussion with my boss because it's "snack time."  Anyway, here's my workout for the week and I just hope it's enough for Sunday...

Monday - rest

Tuesday - 20 min spin/ 30 min run (at 5:30 am - not my favorite time of day)

Wednesday - swam 1400 (after work)

Originally planned 1800 but I had terrible heartburn.  Thanks to inhaling food 30 minutes prior since my meal schedule was out of whack.  This was also my worst work day and I had an excruciating headache that the swim cap and goggles were not helping.

Thursday - rest

Friday - another crack of dawn workout planned.  BTW, I think the gym should hand out finishers medals just to make the early mornings easier to bear... or at least paint a finish line at the exit ;o)

Friday Update: spin bike (the one and only) was in use so I did a 30 min run and good stretch.

still training

Tues - Pilates (ugh)

I know pilates is VERY good for me but every second of that class is misery.  I always leave feeling awkward, uncoordinated and alarmingly aware of my weaknesses.  Oh, and I'm sore for 3 days!

Wed - 10 mile bike ride (a.m.)  2 mile warm up run & Bodyflex class (p.m.)

Bike was great.  Shannon and I met up with the tri class at 5:30 A.M.  I was very anxious about the ride for several reasons - my main issue was that it was dark (no visibility!) but it was also in a residential neighborhood (traffic!) that was hit by a tornado the day before (debris!).  I felt like my eyes were as big as saucers the whole time!  After a few loops through the neighborhood I got more comfortable but I was a little annoyed by the other cyclists' lack of safety.  iPods are a no-no, especially on a high traffic residential road...  in the dark... riding on the left.  I'll admit that on my long rides I use my iPod but I only use the earpiece in my right ear so I can hear people coming up to pass.  I just felt like it was an unnecessary hazard for a short 30-ish minute ride.  Needless to say, I was relieved when it was over.  Suprisingly, the ride ended up being 10 miles with my avg speed @ 17.5 and max @ 21.5  - both felt faster in the dark LOL

Bodyflex was fun as usual.  I did not use weights for shoulders since I knew I had several long swims coming up and there is no need to awaken the tendinitis beast ;o)

Thurs - 2 mile run plagued with shin splints and tummy trouble

This was miserable.  My food intake for the day was terrible - I doubt I even reached 900 calories.  I still struggle to eat enough calories but for the most part I've been doing better.  I'm not where I need to be but it's better than it was last season.  My shins were killing me  and to be honest, it pissed me off.  I just want to run, is that asking too much?!

Fri - 2000 swim

FANTASTIC swim!  Woohoo!  I felt comfortable and strong for most of the swim.  I decided to imagine myself swimming in the dark water at St A's and rounding each buoy as I hit the distance mark.  We'll see if there's anything to this "mental practice" mumbo jumbo next week at the race.  Let's hope so, I need all the help I can get!

lazy blogger

Update...

4.5 mile run on Thursday, 2 mile run Friday as a warm up and 7 mile bike with my 10 year old son.  It was his first ride on the trail and he did awesome!  My swim today was my first in almost 2 weeks since the sinus infection ordeal.  It felt good but I wanted to swim 1800 and only finished 1350.  The tendinitis in my shoulder started to ache so I figured it was best not to push it.  Pretty happy overall.  I planned to run after but realized I left my change of clothes at home. duh.  Running tonight instead.

3  mile evening run.  No idea pace because I FORGOT my watch - ugh.  Definitely a forgetful day but at least I got my workouts in.

update

Very humid run on Tuesday night - not such a great run.

Bodyflex on Monday night - awesome class!

Still no swims, my ears aren't better - planning an open water Saturday after Iron Girl.