So much fun, I hardly know where to begin.......
First, it was my birthday on Friday and we had a home football game. The Foxes played masterfully and the pep band played 'Happy Birthday' for me while I was working in the concession stand. It was a great day. I went to our Vixen Classic volleyball tournament on Saturday morning (the Vixens are so fine in volleyball) and then headed to Albuquerque on Saturday afternoon. I met my friend Marcy Oxford in Albuquerque at Sports Systems sporting goods store. They were having a lovely sale, so both Marcy and I got new triathlon 'outfits'. Now she had to talk me into the new kit just a little by reminding me, "How many of your other outfits have you worn 12 times this year?" While there is some truth to her logic, I did want a new tri-suit, particularly one that had a hot pink top and stylish long shorts and a vibrant floral skirt that holds my race number.
Then I went by the store and grabbed some Greek yogurt and some fruit for breakfast. Marcy is a purist and eats steel cut oats. Both of us land in the, "Coffee? YES!!" club for part of our pre-race morning rituals. We went to her sister (my friend) Lisa's house and enjoyed the lovely backyard, a fresh garden salad and pizza the supper of triathlon champions. We are committed to our best effort, so that meant early to bed and no late night gabbing. Lisa was the hostess extraordinaire, and she set the coffee maker to be brewing by 5:10 so we would have fresh, hot java to get us fueled for the morning's events.
I woke up early at 4:30, so I had plenty of time to get dressed, breakfasted and get my gear packed. It was about a 30 minute drive to the aquatic center in Rio Rancho from Lisa's and we made great time on Sunday morning. When you are pregnant, all you see are other pregnant women. When you are headed to a triathlon, all you see are other vehicles with bikes and other triathletes in them. We had not done packet pickup on Saturday, and it went very smoothly on Sunday morning. It was easy to get good placement in the open racking, so we set up our gear next to each other and got our body marking. The volunteers had done a good job of getting everything set up and ready. Andie, the race director, has done it for several years and it is a race that always sells out and usually has about 350-360 participants. The City of Rio Rancho does a great job of having police out on the course managing the traffic too. They usually have about 120 to 150 volunteers as well. The proceeds to go support the police, fire and EMS first responders.
At 7:45 we all joined in and sang the National Anthem, and then began lining up for the seeded swim start. This is the part I like least. They let the fast folks go first, so slow old women like me wait around forever. While the first swimmers got in the pool at 8, I didn't get in until 9:15. In this race you swim up and back in the same lane, so you can imagine how much opportinity there is to crash or be crashed into. Once again I suprised myself by passing several people. It was particularly suprising since I was mostly doing the backstroke and didn't realize I was passing someone until they kicked me in the head! Nobody to blame for that but myself. Triathlon ettiquette is that you tap someone gently on the foot and then they let you pass. I think my head hitting their feet would be considered a gentle tap :-) I can tell you that my swim time has improved by 40% (yes you read that correctly) from last year to this year. From the first triathlon this spring (April) until Sunday, I've improved by 22%. How fast can I do 400 meters, well, no snickering from the true athletes out there, but it took me 12 minutes to swim the 400 meters on Sunday.
I dashed through transition, cutting a minute off the time from last year, and headed out on the bike. Now the Patriot Triathlon is uphill for the first 7.5 miles or so. For those of you familiar with the area, you bike from the aquatic center, around and up to the new Sue Cleveland High School, and then to the Santa Ana Star Center. Then there are rolling hills for the remainder of the 15.5 miles. I'd passed a few folks on the run, usually going up the hills. I've been working on the hill climbing, at least what hills I can find in eastern NM. I felt pretty good on the bike, but my legs were definitely burning by the time I came back into transition. Then it is a fast flash to change shoes and off on the 5K run.
The run is either up hill or down hill. There is no flat on the run, a fact they "brag" about on the race web site. My pre-race strategy was to run up the hills and then if I needed to, walk down the hills. Not happening on Sunday. I ran the first 200 meters, and my calves were cramping like crazy. I'd hydrated well on the bike, and it was about 90 degrees by now, so I took a bottle of G2 with me on the run. Of course it was tepid, but better than nothing. I've had cramps in the arches of my feet before, but this was the first time for cramps in my legs. I really had no idea how to respond, so I alternated running and walking. I was feeling a little whipped, so I thought I'd try some new GU gel product. I can't think of a nastier flavor to put in my mouth. Okay, I can THINK of some, but none that I've actually ever had in my mouth. I swallowed a little and decided I would rather do without. Gag. I was passed by two folks, and then by a third on the run. They were both folks I'd passed on the bike, so I hated to see my "lead" disappear. I was able to run most of the second half of the race, and that felt good. In the final 200 meters I was able to pass one of the folks who passed me; my slow was just faster than her slow. Ultimately, I was fifth from the last. The race results are not up, but I timed myself using my Polar HR monitor and believe that I did the race in four minutes longer than last year, but the bike was 2.5 miles longer this year than last year. I will have to cut 30 minutes off my overall time (2 hrs and 32 minutes) to be close to the top three in my age group. I think I can do that by next year.
Okay, so what is next. I have the Elephant Man Olympic distance race on the 26th of September. All I can say is YIKES. I am really scared and while it seemed like a great idea in June, my fear is now huge. It is a 1 mile swim in Elephant Butte Lake where catfish that weigh over 100 pounds are not unheard of (lake lore). The bike will be 26 miles and folks who have done it says there are a couple of hills that are killer. If you stop pedaling on the bike, the advice is just get off and push it up the hill; the hills are too steep to start pedaling on without rolling backwards. The run is a 10 K. The first mile and last mile are through the sand. You start at the bottom of the dam and run up and over, then down the other side, turn around and do it all over again. My friend Marcy is NOT doing it because she said someone has to be available to drive me home from the hospital. I told her I would get a notarized medical treatment permission form for her in case she needs to use it on my behalf :-) I will definitely fill you in on that extravaganza of pain and excitement. I would not mind your prayers either!
Your Friend in Fitness,
Patricia
First, it was my birthday on Friday and we had a home football game. The Foxes played masterfully and the pep band played 'Happy Birthday' for me while I was working in the concession stand. It was a great day. I went to our Vixen Classic volleyball tournament on Saturday morning (the Vixens are so fine in volleyball) and then headed to Albuquerque on Saturday afternoon. I met my friend Marcy Oxford in Albuquerque at Sports Systems sporting goods store. They were having a lovely sale, so both Marcy and I got new triathlon 'outfits'. Now she had to talk me into the new kit just a little by reminding me, "How many of your other outfits have you worn 12 times this year?" While there is some truth to her logic, I did want a new tri-suit, particularly one that had a hot pink top and stylish long shorts and a vibrant floral skirt that holds my race number.
Then I went by the store and grabbed some Greek yogurt and some fruit for breakfast. Marcy is a purist and eats steel cut oats. Both of us land in the, "Coffee? YES!!" club for part of our pre-race morning rituals. We went to her sister (my friend) Lisa's house and enjoyed the lovely backyard, a fresh garden salad and pizza the supper of triathlon champions. We are committed to our best effort, so that meant early to bed and no late night gabbing. Lisa was the hostess extraordinaire, and she set the coffee maker to be brewing by 5:10 so we would have fresh, hot java to get us fueled for the morning's events.
I woke up early at 4:30, so I had plenty of time to get dressed, breakfasted and get my gear packed. It was about a 30 minute drive to the aquatic center in Rio Rancho from Lisa's and we made great time on Sunday morning. When you are pregnant, all you see are other pregnant women. When you are headed to a triathlon, all you see are other vehicles with bikes and other triathletes in them. We had not done packet pickup on Saturday, and it went very smoothly on Sunday morning. It was easy to get good placement in the open racking, so we set up our gear next to each other and got our body marking. The volunteers had done a good job of getting everything set up and ready. Andie, the race director, has done it for several years and it is a race that always sells out and usually has about 350-360 participants. The City of Rio Rancho does a great job of having police out on the course managing the traffic too. They usually have about 120 to 150 volunteers as well. The proceeds to go support the police, fire and EMS first responders.
At 7:45 we all joined in and sang the National Anthem, and then began lining up for the seeded swim start. This is the part I like least. They let the fast folks go first, so slow old women like me wait around forever. While the first swimmers got in the pool at 8, I didn't get in until 9:15. In this race you swim up and back in the same lane, so you can imagine how much opportinity there is to crash or be crashed into. Once again I suprised myself by passing several people. It was particularly suprising since I was mostly doing the backstroke and didn't realize I was passing someone until they kicked me in the head! Nobody to blame for that but myself. Triathlon ettiquette is that you tap someone gently on the foot and then they let you pass. I think my head hitting their feet would be considered a gentle tap :-) I can tell you that my swim time has improved by 40% (yes you read that correctly) from last year to this year. From the first triathlon this spring (April) until Sunday, I've improved by 22%. How fast can I do 400 meters, well, no snickering from the true athletes out there, but it took me 12 minutes to swim the 400 meters on Sunday.
I dashed through transition, cutting a minute off the time from last year, and headed out on the bike. Now the Patriot Triathlon is uphill for the first 7.5 miles or so. For those of you familiar with the area, you bike from the aquatic center, around and up to the new Sue Cleveland High School, and then to the Santa Ana Star Center. Then there are rolling hills for the remainder of the 15.5 miles. I'd passed a few folks on the run, usually going up the hills. I've been working on the hill climbing, at least what hills I can find in eastern NM. I felt pretty good on the bike, but my legs were definitely burning by the time I came back into transition. Then it is a fast flash to change shoes and off on the 5K run.
The run is either up hill or down hill. There is no flat on the run, a fact they "brag" about on the race web site. My pre-race strategy was to run up the hills and then if I needed to, walk down the hills. Not happening on Sunday. I ran the first 200 meters, and my calves were cramping like crazy. I'd hydrated well on the bike, and it was about 90 degrees by now, so I took a bottle of G2 with me on the run. Of course it was tepid, but better than nothing. I've had cramps in the arches of my feet before, but this was the first time for cramps in my legs. I really had no idea how to respond, so I alternated running and walking. I was feeling a little whipped, so I thought I'd try some new GU gel product. I can't think of a nastier flavor to put in my mouth. Okay, I can THINK of some, but none that I've actually ever had in my mouth. I swallowed a little and decided I would rather do without. Gag. I was passed by two folks, and then by a third on the run. They were both folks I'd passed on the bike, so I hated to see my "lead" disappear. I was able to run most of the second half of the race, and that felt good. In the final 200 meters I was able to pass one of the folks who passed me; my slow was just faster than her slow. Ultimately, I was fifth from the last. The race results are not up, but I timed myself using my Polar HR monitor and believe that I did the race in four minutes longer than last year, but the bike was 2.5 miles longer this year than last year. I will have to cut 30 minutes off my overall time (2 hrs and 32 minutes) to be close to the top three in my age group. I think I can do that by next year.
Okay, so what is next. I have the Elephant Man Olympic distance race on the 26th of September. All I can say is YIKES. I am really scared and while it seemed like a great idea in June, my fear is now huge. It is a 1 mile swim in Elephant Butte Lake where catfish that weigh over 100 pounds are not unheard of (lake lore). The bike will be 26 miles and folks who have done it says there are a couple of hills that are killer. If you stop pedaling on the bike, the advice is just get off and push it up the hill; the hills are too steep to start pedaling on without rolling backwards. The run is a 10 K. The first mile and last mile are through the sand. You start at the bottom of the dam and run up and over, then down the other side, turn around and do it all over again. My friend Marcy is NOT doing it because she said someone has to be available to drive me home from the hospital. I told her I would get a notarized medical treatment permission form for her in case she needs to use it on my behalf :-) I will definitely fill you in on that extravaganza of pain and excitement. I would not mind your prayers either!
Your Friend in Fitness,
Patricia
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