Caine Halter Tri Recap

I survived the first triathlon of the season!

I was a little nervous about this one since my training for it was pretty minimal. I felt pretty good about swimming and running, but I’ve really only been out on my bike 2-3 times in the last few weeks. While it’s certainly enough to get across the finish line, I kind of wanted to do well and I wasn’t sure that was enough be as fast as I wanted.

Anyways, I dragged my butt out of bed early Saturday morning to head over to the Caine Halter Y and get all set up.

SWIM (300m):

Since this was a pool swim, the numbers were set up by the order of our submitted swim time. A note on this: Please put in a fairly correct estimate of your swim time! Every pool swim I’ve done has ended up in me getting caught behind someone much slower than me and this creates a mess! I caught up to the guy 2 people in front of (he probably started nearly 30 seconds before me) before the end of the first 100m. I know this sucks, but if someone needs to pass you in this environment, you just have to stop at the wall and let them because otherwise they’re just going to run you over.

Ready to go!

Other than this, the swim went pretty well.  After about 150m, I finally got some clear pool space to get going.  I passed one other person during the final lap, but he stopped on the wall to let me pass. I hopped out of the pool and headed for the transition area. The run to the transition area was ridiculously long!

It probably took me about 90 seconds to get all the way down that hill. My total swim time (including the long run) was 5:26, so my actual pool time was probably around 4:00, which is about what I expected. I actually had the fastest swim time (for women),  so that was kind of exciting.

T1: Since this ride was so short, I planned to just wear my running shoes on the bike to save time on T2.  I turned my socks and shorts half inside-out so I could get them on quickly. I had a heck of a time getting my gloves on, though. (2:11)

BIKE (9-ish miles):

This bike route was pretty hilly. It was describe to us as a lollipop shape, but you did the lollipop part 3 times. So we went out, did 3 loops and then came back.  I spent most of the first lap trying to figure out which gear I needed be in for some of the bigger hills so I wouldn’t die. My quads were burning bad by lap 2, even still. This is were everybody passed me =) I finished in 30:17.

T2: I got in and out of here in 0:55. Really, all I had to do was rack my bike switch out my helmet for a hat. I grabbed a quick drink of water while I was here too. I meant to grab a gel but I totally forgot, so oh well.

RUN (3 miles):

The run started out on a HUGE uphill, which was brutal coming off the bike, but as soon as I got past that, the rest of the run went pretty well.  It was mostly flat for the rest of the course.  We got on the Swamp Rabbit trail around mile 1 and headed into Cleveland Park before heading to the finish.  I had a side stitch for most of the run, but my legs felt strong, so I just kept pushing through, with just one short walk to grab water. I finished the run in 28:07, so not bad.

After I finished, I grabbed some water and snacks and went to go pack up my stuff. There were still people just finishing the swim! I kept out of their way, but this is definitely the one bad thing about a pool swim.  If you’re one of the last to start, you’ll be waiting an hour!  I wanted to wait for my friends to finish, so I put up my gear and changed into some dry clothes (so glad I thought to pack these!) before heading back down to the finish line.

 

My total finish time was 1:06.54. I waited around for a while to wait for everyone I knew to finish so we could get some team pictures:

By this time, it was almost time for awards, so I decided to hang around a little longer. I knew a few people on our team got age group awards, and I thought I might have snuck in there.

Turns out, I did!

I got 3rd place in my age group!

I’m glad I decided to do this race. It was a lot of fun, and it showed me what I’ll need to work on for the rest of the season (the bike, seriously).

Have a great Sunday!

 

Summer Race Schedule

Hey there!

I know I said I was putting off signing up for a bunch of summer races until things settle down – this is still partially true.  It’s looking like things may be working themselves out a little, so I wanted to put out a tentative race schedule that will hopefully get me to a Half Ironman (and maybe fish some tips for completing one?).

I’m hoping that a change of pace for the summer will help me get to my marathon and half marathon goals for the end of the year.  I’m already signed up for the Kiawah full in December. I hadn’t picked a goal Half until this week, when all the RnR events went on sale  (love a sale), so I decided to pick Savannah. I hope it will be a good race!

So anyways, here’s what I have in mind:

6/15 Caine Halter YMCA Tri

I know this is this weekend, but I still haven’t signed up for it. I’m like 75% sure that I’m going to do it, but I have to decide by Thursday! It’s a 300 pool swim, 9 mile bike, and a 5K run, so distance-wise I’m totally prepared. I’ve just been putting it off. I have some friends that will be there so if I end up doing it, it should be fun.

7/7 You Go Girl Tri

I have already signed up for this one. I did it two years ago and really enjoyed it. It’s a short women’s-only tri, but it was really well organized. It seems like some of the women’s-only races have been getting some bad press around the blog world recently (for reasons I can definitely understand), but this was a good one. It’s only 250 pool swim, 10 miles bike, 2.5 mile run.

8/3 Lake Logan International

I’ve been looking at two International distance tri’s and plan to pick one. This one looks neat since it will be scenic (it’s near Asheville), but it will be ridiculously hilly. Mountainous. So I’m not sure yet. I still have a month or so to pick.

8/11 Greenville Tri

This is the only other one on the list I’ve done before. I want to go out and really improve from the last time I did it.  This is a sprint – 400 pool swim, 15 mile bike, 5k run.

8/31 Langely Pond International

This is the other international distance that I’m considering. It’s in Aiken SC, which is a bit of a drive, which is why I’m not sure. Asheville is closer, but this one will probably not be as challenging.

I also have two Half distance tri’s that I’m trying to decide between.  The Carolina Half is the last weekend in September near Charlotte.  It will definitely be the less expensive of the two, but it seems like it will be a smaller race.  The other is the Beach to Battleship in Wilmington. It’s at the end of October and will definitely cost more to do. But, I’ve heard a lot of really good things about it.  Any other recommendations would be welcome =)

So, that’s the tentative plan. Any tips for a HIM wannabe?

Simpsonville Sunrise 8K Recap

Hello everyone!

This morning I ran the Simpsonville Sunrise 8K.  This is a local race put on by the Greenville Track Club every year and it’s pretty popular. I did it last year with Meredith and we both thought it was a pretty good race, so I signed up for it again.

The race starts early, at 6:30, hence the “Sunrise Run”.  Last year, the weather was pretty decent, a little bit warm, but not too humid. This year, we weren’t so lucky:

It’s practically raining.

93% humidity. Yuck. I was sweating the moment I got out of my car.

I’m pretty sure you can see the mugginess.

I got there around 6 so I could grab my bib and run my shirt back to my car before the start. I met up pre-race with some new running buddies I made through work earlier last week (always exciting).

The race started right on time at 6:30.  The start was a little crowded, but the course went out on to a bigger road fairly quickly, so everyone started to spread out within a half mile. I really wanted to run the race in 45 mins or less but after the first mile, I could pretty much tell that there was no way that was happening.  My first mile was a 9:15 and I thought I was going to die (or melt into a puddle). I am definitely not used to the heat yet!

The course is relatively flat. It’s a big loop that starts out along Main St. in Simpsonville and then heads out into some nice neighborhoods before returning to downtown for the finish.  It’s mostly shady, which helps with the sun, but not at all with the humidity!  There were a decent amount of spectators, though.  One family set up their sprinklers to spray out onto the runners (apparently they’re out there every year), which is really nice. It felt good even though I was pretty much totally drenched in sweat by that point anyways. Sorry, ew.

This was me coming up on the finish line. I’m pretty sure I looked like I had just jumped in a pool by this point. I finished in 47:11 (by my watch), which was a few minutes faster than last year, so not too bad.  I managed to keep all my mile splits under 10 mins, but I could feel the humidity the whole time. It was brutal!

Afterwards I grabbed as many waters as I could hold and tracked down my work friends. We all finished within a few minutes of each other, so maybe some potential for a training group? They went to Panera for post-race breakfast, but I already had plans to meet up with Jen for a bike ride.

So, anyways, that was the race! Anyone else run a race this weekend?

 

Whoops, I Have a Race This Weekend

I haven’t completely forgotten about blogging. Or running. Life has not been terribly blog-able lately, but maybe it will pick up soon!  I have some potential races coming up, but I haven’t really signed up for anything because of some uncertainty in my life (read: job).

BUT! I do have a race this weekend.  The Simpsonville Sunrise 8K is on Saturday, hooray! I did this race last year with new running buddy Meredith and really enjoyed it.  So, I signed up for it again. I figured it would help motivate me to start running again, since post-CMM, I pretty much had none.

So, it should be fun, at least.  The weather looks good so far (not 90% humidity, like today), so I’m looking to at least PR by a little.

Some other items of possible interest:

-First official bike ride of the Tri training season was this past weekend! It was a beautiful day, but I accidentally missed a spot with sunscreen and got burnt =(

-I made these Molten Lava Cakes last week. Very yummy!

-I also made this Coke Cake to take to work. Very buttery.

-I’ve been watching Arrested Development non-stop. Like, literally, all of my free time has been consumed. It is fantastic

-The latest Game of Thrones has everyone totally freaked out. It was super intense – and I already knew what was going to happen!

Does anyone else watch Game of Thrones? Please share your reaction! That stuff cracks me up!

I’m Still Alive!

I’m still alive, for sure, but definitely in need of a long nap! I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend! I had to work on Monday, but I took off for Indy on Friday for Rose-Hulman’s graduation. It was a bit of a whirlwind weekend!

I had to fly out of Charlotte and had some weird (as always) layovers.  I had to borrow one of my parent’s cars so I could make the 2 hour drive to Terre Haute on Friday night…then back the next day. So, it was a pretty busy weekend. Definitely no running, which was probably good, since I had been just dead tired in the last few workout I did last week.

My food choices weren’t the greatest either. I’ve been working pretty hard to clean up my diet because it has been just straight-up terrible. Like ice cream for breakfast bad. I managed to get some fruits and veggies in, but also, sometimes you just have to have a Square Donut.

I did look at my old pool, if that counts for anything.

BLURRY POOL PIC

Anyways, like I said, my main purpose was to go to Rose graduation. My old sorority little sis finally graduated (she was a freshman when I graduated), so I wanted to come and support her, since she came to mine.  This really isn’t so bad since Rose is so small; I think there were less than 400 graduating last weekend.

 

I definitely felt a little weird being there, though. The last time I was on campus was for Homecoming 2011…so that was a while ago. Pretty much everyone I know is gone! My little freshmen are all grown up =) After commencement, I headed back home to spend the night with my family, which was pretty relaxing. Unfortunately, I had to cut it shorter than I would have liked since I had to come in and work yesterday since it’s not a company holiday. Oh well!

I did manage to get a run in yesterday. I’ve been trying (and failing) to get acclimated to running in the heat, but I’ve really just not been running much at all. So, I dragged myself out to do 5 miles in 80-some degree heat, which is hot for me! I thought I was going to die, but I finished it, so that’s a step in the right direction.

So, anyway, that’s all going on with me! Anyone do anything super fun for the long-weekend?

My Hand

Yes, I think this post will be mostly pictures of my hand. For some reason, every picture on my phone from the last week has my hand in it…I need a life or something.

This last week or so has been pretty crazy, which was probably not such a bad thing because it kept me from working out too much and allowing my marathon injuries to heal. I haven’t ran once since Nashville!  I have been doing some other things though.

I’ve been spinning once a week. Spinning is hard. Also, I dropped the spin bike handlebars on my hand on Wednesday because I’m dumb, apparently, so now my hand is all bruised.

Uhh…I guess you can’t really tell, but it hurts. My advice? Don’t do that.

I’ve also been swimming more, which has been great.  I’ve managed to keep up enough endurance over the last 6 months or so that I can jump straight into some more speedwork.  The pools hours are still terrible (for 2 more weeks-ish), but I’ve been making time to get there and do a solid practice. So, that’s good.

I at some yogurt (not interesting)

This was on sale at Bi-Lo last week, and I’d never tried it before, so I got some and it was REALLY good. Full of sugar and delicious things.

My mom got me a magic bullet for my birthday, so I tried it out yesterday.

It makes awesome frozen margaritas. I haven’t had one in forever since I broke my Ninja blender a few months ago, so it’s nice to have a blender again.

Check out this sweet wreath Jen made for me!

I am talentless and can’t do stuff like this, so this is super cool to me.

Also, I went to Atlanta last weekend, which was lots of fun. We decided to do something totally touristy, so we went to Stone Mountain, and hiked up the mountain.

 

You can see the city from the top! It’s literally just a big rock. With Robert E. Lee carved into the side.

 

Hopefully the coming weeks will be less work-crazy!

 

 

 

 

What to do post marathon?

Ok, so I’ve run my spring marathon…

Now what??? The Kiawah Marathon isn’t until December. I haven’t signed up for a fall half marathon yet (looking to break 2 hours!), but it will probably be mid-October, if I can find one.  So that leaves me with 3-4 month with basically no training plan.  Working out with no particular goal in mind doesn’t really work for me since I’m so used to training year-round for swimming.  When I have “official” time off, that usually means two things: sit on the couch and do nothing and eat everything in sight.  This I really don’t want to be doing because I’ll just gain 10 lbs and that would be unproductive.

So, summer is triathlon season! I didn’t do any last year because I was so fixated on finishing my first marathon. I’m not a particularly competitive triathlete, but I do enjoy them. Obviously, I love swimming, and this is kind of my shining moment in a tri. I’m fairly competitive in that leg, so it drives me crazy that it’s generally the shortest one!  To get in shape, I just need to start building some yardage in speed since most of my swims over the last 12 months have been recovery workouts.

I enjoy bike riding too, but….I don’t much like to ride fast. Add in hills and speed and I start enjoying it far less! I have a pretty decent bike, though:

 

Notice my pedals are not clips. I feel like to be a reasonably serious biker, you’ve got to have clips, but I am SO UNCOMFORTABLE with them. Maybe if I could get used to it on a spin bike or something, then move to a low pressure road situation. Any tips on this? Also, I know I have a super squishy padded bike seat. Yea, that’s staying. Then I would have to buy a new bike seat AND new bike shorts and all of a sudden this is getting expensive! I’ve ridden up to 50 miles on this set-up with no issues, so I know I can get to my more immediate goal of reaching a HIM with my bike as-is.  If I ever work up the nerve to do a full IM, I would put some effort into clips and a real bike seat.

Running used to be my weakest leg, by far!  I’m really looking forward to seeing how my improved running will affect my triathlon as a whole.

So, what’s the goal?  Well, like I said above, I’d like to do an Ironman Tri one day. Just to finish. Just one. A year ago, this was just a dream because I still thought that there was no way I could ever run a marathon, let a lone run a marathon after swimming 2.4 miles and biking over 100!

Now I’ve run 2 marathons, and this dream has moved into the realm of possibility.  I’m not ready, for sure. I’d really like to have another marathon (or 2) under my belt and improve my time down to at least 4:30. Still not super fast, but I need to be fast enough that I won’t have to worry about not finishing in time.

So, this summer, I’d like to do a Half Ironman. I’ve not signed up for one yet, but I have my eye on a few. I’ve had some stuff going on in my job that I’ve been waiting to settle down before I commit (with my money!) to a race, but I will definitely reach a decision before the end of June. At a minimum, I will be doing an Olympic distance race, which is definitely doable. I’ve already got a few sprint distance tris paid for to get me started!

I’m definitely excited to be swimming more. I’m looking forward to not having to run 20 milers on the weekends for a while! It will be nice to focus on some speedwork and shorter runs while it’s hot this summer. I think I’m excited about getting out on my bike more. I’m also going to try and start going to spin once a week to help with my biking endurance a  little. I will definitely continue to go to my group fitness classes that I love so much =)