Showing posts with label Bob Korock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bob Korock. Show all posts

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Tri for Real #2 - Race Report

Pre-Pre-Race 

It's in pink because this part is really only for the ladies ;-)

The weeks between the World's Toughest Half and the Tri for Real #2 have been difficult for me.
I no longer know what to expect from my body. About a week before The World’s Toughest Half, my favorite aunt dropped by for her monthly visit. It was the last thing I wanted, but I was thankful that it was before the race and not during. Unfortunately, she decided that it was going to be an extended visit and stuck around for the race and many days after…something she has never done before.


This month her expected arrival date came and went. She didn’t even drop by to say “Hi”! Hmmm…she’s never done this before either. At this point I don't even care...as long as she's not here on race day I'm happy.

On top of that issue, I have been plagued by insomnia (actually, based on what I've been reading, the lack of a monthly visit and the insomnia are related). Anyway, there was a two week period where I would wake up around 1 A.M. or 2 A. M. every night and toss and turn the rest of the night lucky to eek out a few more minutes of sleep. I felt exhausted during the day and found it hard to focus at work. Then there were nights that I would wake up drenched in sweat and other nights that I felt like I was freezing to death (maybe because I turned the air on a little too low to avoid the night sweats LOL).



About a week before the Tri for Real #2, I started sleeping through the night. In fact, I started sleeping a little too much. I would fall asleep lounging by the pool, I would fall asleep on the couch after dinner, and then somehow sleep through the night. My Garmin showed me sleeping all night on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Maybe my lack of sleep had finally caught up with me. Unfortunately, Thursday night was restless and it continued that way right up until race day.

Pre-Race

My alarm went off around 4 A.M. on Sunday morning. Hot Stuff questioned why I was getting up so early. I explained that the race started at 7 A.M. He thought that was earlier than usual so I got on the TBF Racing website and found that the race didn't start until 8 A.M. I would have sworn that the website said 7 A.M. the day before (Dani thought she saw 7 A.M. too) but at that point I was just happy to have another hour to try and sleep. I figured that I had roughly 4-5 hours of sleep the night before and could use any extra zzz's I could get.

When my alarm went off an hour later, I got up and fixed coffee and a plate of eggs on toast. While the water for the coffee was heating up, I checked my bike one last time and made sure I had everything I needed in my tri bag. I wish I was more enthusiastic about this race, but I just wasn't feeling it. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or the fact that I may have had a little too much wine the day before (not a good move), but I was not in the mood. Actually, I think it was the lingering doubts from the World's Toughest Half that had me questioning my fitness and my racing ability.

Warm-Up

After checking in at the registration desk, I found James and racked my bike next to his. Actually, I had started setting up next to a tree (thinking shade) before seeing James' bike. The lady next to me had stuff spread everywhere, including a chair in front of her bike and potentially my transition exit path. I was happy to move over by James because at least I knew he had some transition etiquette and wouldn't spread his stuff out in front of mine.



Look who I found!


Not sure what we are discussing

I got my stuff set up and then slipped on my running shoes (Pearl Izumi Women's E:MOTION TRI N1 v2). Coach K had noted a warmup on my calendar for the race... run 1 mile, ride 20 minutes. Typically I just use my swim as a warmup LOL. Since I know that Coach K checks my Garmin data periodically, I made sure I started my watch for the run.

When I got back from my run I found Coach K racking his bike next to mine. Crap! Now I'm going to be all stressed out because he's here. What if I have another sucky race? I walked over and said good morning. He said he saw all the pink (pink towel, pink cycling shoes, pink helmet, etc) and figured it was my bike. What can I say? :-)

I changed shoes and headed out for a 20 minute spin. When I got back, Coach K said something about being tired from training and giving myself time to warmup during the ride or something like that...you think I would pay better attention but my mind was elsewhere. All I could think about was just getting through the race without embarrassing myself. Hey, at least he was giving me an excuse :-)

Swim

Last year I did the Tri for Real #1 in my full sleeve wetsuit. It was way, way too warm for sleeves and I regretted that decision. This year I switched back to my sleeveless. My main goal for the swim was to not be slower than last year. I also wanted to try going out a little quicker than I am comfortable with..just to get ahead of the pack.

The quick start seemed to work as planned and I found myself in a comfortable zone in terms of not having too many people touching or bumping me. After I made the first turn, I eased up because I was worried about setting off the cramp in my left foot that has plagued me for the last couple of weeks. For the most part, I was happy with the swim. I managed to beat last year's time but it wasn't a PR. I think I did a little too much breast stroke...in fact, I don't know why I did any breast stroke at all other than I was taking things just a bit too easy.

Still my favorite part of the swim
T1

I walked into transition. I wanted a moment to get settle down and get ready for the ride.  Once I was at my bike, I made quick work of stripping off my wetsuit and getting on my cycling gear. While changing, I contemplated the ride. I just wanted to have a good ride. My biggest fear that I would be significantly slower than last year. 

Leaving T1

Bike

I love the bike course at Rancho Seco. It's a rolling out and back that just begs to be hammered. Maybe that's not the best plan of attack, but it's what I always find myself doing. The only part that slows you down is the speed bumps leaving the park and coming back. This year I made an attempt to bunny hop the bumps. Most of the time I failed, but I did manage to practically clear one of the bumps...almost LOL. It felt like a victory to me.

Highway 104 seemed rougher than in the past. I'm not sure if there was a fresh chip seal on it or not, but it was not smooth. About halfway out, I closed in on a pickup pulling a small trailer full of goats. The driver did not want to go around the riders in front of his truck. As the pickup crested a hill, he basically came to a stop until the riders could get rolling again. I had no choice but to slow to a crawl hoping that he would make his move on the descent. It took him a while, but he finally got rolling  only to slow down again when he came up on more riders :-/

On the way out, I was trying to figure out which direction the wind was blowing. It sort of felt like a cross wind, but I wasn't too sure. On the way back, however, it definitely felt like a head wind. I put my head down and pedaled. One thing that concerned me was the freshly cut weeds on the side of the road. It looked like they had been mowed within the last day or so because clippings were all over the road. My first thought was "goat heads" so I did my best not to ride through the mess.

T2

When I rolled back in to transition, HS told me that I was the first female in off the bike! I was thrilled!! He then pointed out that some lady just rolled in behind me. I hurried up and changed and headed out on the run course.

I need to learn how to do this...

...it's so much cooler than dismounting this way!

Run

The run at Rancho Seco is tough...especially when it's hot. There are rolling hills, gravel roads, a paved road section and single track trail...oh, and there's not much shade. I never expect much from my run...especially after riding like a fool without a thought about pace.

Headed out on the run

As I turned off the grass on to the gravel road, the lady that rode into transition after me caught me and ran past me. She had a 54 on her leg. Runner...Just let her go...She's not in your age group...There will be others passing you.

As we neared the first aid station at mile one, I watched as she ran through it without taking anything to drink. I called out for ice and electrolytes. The ice went in my top and the electrolytes sort of made it in my mouth. I slowed to a walk to keep from spilling any more of my drink, tossed the cup, and then took off running again.

The lady with the 54 continued to move away from me. I comforted myself with my performance on the bike and reminded myself to stick to my plan which was basically keep moving forward. As we neared the second aid station, I would swear that she skipped this one too. Not me. More ice and water please. Ice down the top, water in my mouth and over my head. It was hot out, and I wanted to keep from overheating. As I ran the third mile, I dug some ice out of my top. I put a few cubes in my mouth and held a couple of pieces in each hand as I ran.

The paved section of the run is a relatively short out-and-back that gives you the chance to see who is behind you.  I was certain that as soon as I made the turn there would be a female runner right on my heels. I was surprised that I almost had to run all the way back to the gravel road before crossing another woman. I looked forward to see where 54 was...she didn't appear to be as far ahead as I remember.

As I ran through the single track section, I looked out to the lake and thought about how good it would feel to jump in and swim. I quickly re-focused my thoughts to running. The trail twists and turns and then spits you back out at the second aid station. This time, 54 got something to drink. I called out for another round of ice and water...slowing to a walk for just a bit.

As I made my way along the trail, I was certain that the 4 mile marker was missing. There was just no way I had not reached 4 miles yet. Unfortunately, I messed up the multi-sport tracking on my Garmin (pushing "stop" instead of "lap") so I couldn't rely on my Garmin giving me a correct distance.  My thoughts on distance were interrupted by the realization that 54 was now only about 25 yards in front of me.

I stuck to my pace and kept moving forward as planned. However, as I did this, I kept getting closer to 54. I wasn't sure what to do. Honestly, I don't really pass many people on the run, let alone the lead female runner.  Eventually, I made the decision to go around her. I figured this would spur her on and that she would pass me within seconds. Seconds passed and she didn't run by me...I kept moving forward.

Eventually the course takes you back past the first aid station. I called out for ice and electrolytes and waited to hear 54's voice so I could try and figure out how much further she was behind me. I couldn't really tell, but I figured that even if she ran past me now, I still had a good chance of winning my age group...something I have never done on this course. I was happy with that.

One of the male runners headed out on the course told me he thought I was in front. I was buoyed by the thought that I might actually get first overall and it quieted the voices in my head that were telling me to ease up a bit. Around mile 6 I heard footsteps...small, quick, light footsteps so I knew it wasn't a man. A female runner...the one I had seen back on the paved section ran past me. Bummer. The good news was that she had a 41 on her leg. All I needed to do was finish the last .2 miles and I would finally win my age group.

Finished!

Post Race

This was the first time that I can honestly say that I have "trained through" a race. Previous races have always had some kind of taper...no matter how small. This one did not. Coach K did give me Friday off as a rest day...the first complete day off since the day after the World's Toughest Half  almost 6 weeks ago and I was grateful for it. Saturday, however, was just another training day.

I had deep concerns about doing the Tri for Real #2 in the middle of Vineman training. I was worried that if I had a poor performance it could mentally shake me and crush what was left of my confidence after the WTH. While I didn't have a PR, I came away from the race feeling great and ready for my IRONMAN race.

My favorite thing to see at a race (besides the finish line) is HS waiting for me at the finish. I think he was as thrilled about my finish as I was. He told me I did great and gave me a kiss. I went and grabbed something to drink and walked back to where he was waiting...with Coach K. Ugh...I know what this means.

Me and Coach K
Besides the warmup noted on my training calendar, Coach K had also prescribed a 4 mile run immediately after the race. I had secretly hoped he meant back at home after I had a chance to rest, but no, he meant right away. With him standing there talking to HS, there was no way to get around it. He asked me if I took in any calories after my finish. I hadn't. It's too hard to eat after a race...especially when it's hot out. I grabbed a Gatorade bottle as a compromise and started weaving my way around Rancho Seco park.

Scott doesn't seem to have a problem eating after a race
I made a couple of meandering circles through the campground...checking back with HS to see where they were in the awards process. There was no way I was going to miss this. I wanted my podium pick standing above #1 in my Pearl Izumi team kit. After about 2-1/2 miles, they were starting on the female awards and I was developing a raw spot on one of my heels due to the sand and sweat so I called it quits and pressed "stop" on my Garmin.




#triathlon #endureandenjoy #centralvalleytriathlonclub #pearlizumi #tbfracing #triforreal #USAT #hookit

Friday, August 21, 2015

Wave of Complacency

Three days after completing Vineman, I was chatting online with Coach K, and I got the following response from him in terms of what I should be doing following the race...
"The next 2 weeks are about doing whatever you feel like. No big runs though. You don't want structure because you are about to have a wave of complacency."


A "wave of complacency"? What was he talking about? I felt AMAZING! In the days immediately following Vineman, I felt like I had energy bubbling out of me. I couldn't wait to swim and bike and run. When is my next workout? I plotted and planned my next year. I signed up for a Chi Running clinic. I registered for a race and started checking event calendars to see what else I could do.

That feeling lasted about a week and then it hit me...


Uh oh!
All of a sudden I was questioning why I was doing what I was doing? Why am I swimming? My next big race is CIM and there's no running in CIM. Why bother running when it's hot outside just so I can complete my workout. CIM is months away...why worry about it? Besides, not doing anything felt pretty darned good.

This feeling had me worried. If I got too comfy here, I might never snap out of it! What if I turned out to be one of those people that finishes that one "big race" and then hangs up their bike helmet and goggles for good? I didn't want to be that person, so I kept working out even when I didn't feel like it. I did take Coach K's advice and I tried not to do anything too structured. Instead, I tried to make stuff interesting and fun:


  • I went back to social bike rides instead of 5-1/2 hour sessions on the trainer. Coffee breaks were now mandatory instead of avoided.
  • I cut myself some slack on the runs and shortened stuff up a bit. I also started re-reading my Chi Running book to get ready for the workshop.
  • I started doing some of my favorite Beachbody workouts like Les Mills, P90X, and P90X3.
  • I started doing more yoga and stretching workouts



Trying to mix things up
To be honest, I can't say that I've completely snapped out of this funk. Getting out the door is the hardest part of every workout nowadays. Yesterday at lunch, I came across a Facebook post by Meredith Atwood, the author of "Triathlon for Every Woman". Her post was a link to an article she wrote for Triathlete.com called "Beginner’s Luck: Falling In Love With Triathlon Again". It was basically about that feeling of complacency and how to love triathlons again. It was exactly what I needed to read...


"The next day, I woke up at 5 a.m. I wanted to get on the bike. I wanted to run. What happened? We have to show up and say, “I’m here.” It’s the same way we must show up to the workout and say, “Count me in. Here we go.” It’s a matter of putting on your shoes and just going, all zombie-like, to the treadmill and doing the run, and dragging oneself to the shower afterward. Getting through the workouts is sometimes all you can do. Then eventually, one day, you wake up and say, “Hey! I am back! Look at me!” That’s often how it happens for me. It’s all about getting the momentum going and keeping the good streaks rolling on. Consistency is such a huge part of finding the love again. When I was training for my first half-Ironman, I rarely missed any workout. I was slow and plodding, but I ticked off workouts and was consistent as I could be. That was a wonderful time in my triathlon newbie life. I could measure the progress, see the changes—all because of my consistency. 
With consistency comes a stirring—a sort of summoning of the love—and as your motivational mojo begins to rise, you’ll return to the reasons you took on the sport in the first place. 
Read more at http://triathlon.competitor.com/2015/08/training/beginners-luck-falling-in-love-with-triathlon-again_120924#XkOHVQqGb82kDmCJ.99

Can't wait to feel this way again!!!

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Vineman 2015 (My First "Iron" Distance Race) - Race Report

I write these race reports as a memento for myself. They are a way to remember every detail once the race is over and done. Pictures are great, but they don't give you the essence of the day. When I re-read my other race reports I am taken right back to race day. Details I have forgotten are vividly recalled. These race reports are the closest thing I have to a time machine. Warning...this report is going to be a long one...but in my defense, it was a very long race.

Race Plans

Here is what I had planned for the race:
  • Go out easy in the swim. Use it as a warm up for the rest of the day. Shoot for an hour fifteen finish.
  • Take it easy on the bike. Goal was to average 18-18.5 mph.
  • Ride through the aid stations, refilling my bottle on the move. No stopping!
  • Pee while riding. No stopping!
  • Walk the hills on the run. Walk through the aid stations. Average 10:00 to 10:30 pace.
  • Goal for the race 12:00 to 12:30 (revised at the last minute to 12:00 to 13:00)

Pre-Race

The day before the race, I was surprisingly calm. We dropped the dogs off at the kennel, went home to pick up the gear and were on our way to Windsor. When we got to Windsor High School I ran into my ex-supervisor. He was there to cheer on his cousin. It was nice to see a familiar face and we chatted a bit until the pre-race meeting started. The meeting was very similar to the Barb's Race meeting. I remarked to HS that there wasn't a lot of the "hard core, super intense triathletes that I've seen at some races.

Waiting for the pre-race meeting.

The most unnerving part of this race is dropping off your running gear.
Hope you're here tomorrow when I get off my bike!

We stayed at the same Guerneville cabin we stayed at last year for Barb's Race. I don't like change or the unknown, so staying in the same place was comforting. This year I decided to pack all the food we needed instead of trying to shop after we got there. I wanted the comfort of knowing that I had everything I needed.

Food from home (The beer is Mike's)

In my jammies before 5pm

My bike was packed with about 1,600-1,700 calories. I had opted to keep things simple and stick with 5 - GU, 5 - Honey Stinger Waffles (one had peanut butter on it), Gatorade in the tank, and several watermelon GU Chomps. I also figured that I would be adding about 300-500 calories in Gatorade at the aid stations. Also packed a couple of doses of Sports Legs and one dose of Hammer Endurolytes.

Post Race Inventory: One waffle, one GU packet, most of the GU Chomps.


I was bored on Thursday so I made a waffle wallet for my bike. It worked great!

I set my alarm for 3:05am so I would have time to eat at least 3 hours prior to the race. I used to have a serious, hard-core pump me up song as my race day wake up call but I changed it. Today I was awakened by Christopher Cross singing "Ride Like the Wind". I laugh every time I use that song for an alarm and that's exactly what I needed today. I needed to lighten up a bit and not take things too seriously. 

My plan for breakfast was to fix my usual race day meal of eggs on toast with some coffee. However, today I didn't feel like cooking and the thought of eggs today made me a little queasy. Instead I fixed a peanut butter sandwich with a banana. I also fixed coffee but was only able to drink about 1/2 a cup. 

HS could tell I was getting nervous and came over to give me a hug. I started crying and I told him that I was scared. He told me that I had nothing to worry about. I knew deep down that he was right, but it felt good to let out a little pent up emotion. After that, we loaded up the truck and made our way to the race start. It was a little after 5:00 am. As we drove, I drank about half of my chia fresca. I wasn't able to finish it, but something is better than nothing.

When we arrived at Johnson’s Beach it was still dark outside and there was a light fog above the river. It was very eerie and I hoped the sun would be up before the start of the swim.

Who's swims when it's dark and foggy?
After racking my bike and getting my body markings the time seemed to fly by, perhaps because I was preoccupied with two late comers that decided to squeeze their bikes onto my rack. They started sliding bikes over and moving gear around. An official came over and started questioning whose stuff was where. One unfortunate lady, who’s bike was on the rack before I even got there, had her stuff slid down the rack. I hoped that she came back before the swim start so she would know where her stuff was.
Why do the guys looks so relaxed and happy?
Swim

I thought I would be more nervous walking under the arch to enter the river. I figured I’d be crying and filling up my goggles but I didn’t shed a single tear. I waded into the water and moved to the far side away from the crowd. Next thing I knew, the buzzer sounded and we were off. I stayed to the right, next to the bank of the river and was relatively unmolested. When I reached the bridge, the water got very shallow and I stood up and walked a bit…no sense in trying to swim in water that only comes up to my knees.

As soon as the water got deep again, I started swimming. I concentrated on taking nice long slow strokes and gliding as much as possible. I quickly learned not to follow anyone because nobody seemed to be swimming in a straight line (so much for drafting). I saw one woman almost all the way across the river before the volunteer in the kayak got her pointed in the right direction. The buoys ticked by and I wracked my brain trying to remember how many there were before the turn. At this point I was starting to come up on the wave that started before mine.

After the turn, it seemed like a short time back to the bridge. I was looking forward to standing up again, but apparently this side of the river is deeper so I had to keep swimming. It seemed like an eternity from the bridge to buoy #1 and then to the turn buoy. After the turn to head back for my second loop, I got entangled with a woman intent on beating me into submission…at least that is what it seemed like.

Here I was trying to stay relaxed and take it nice and easy and this woman with man like arms (I know she was a woman because she had the same color cap as mine) continued to pummel my right side. Ok, maybe I am exaggerating a bit about the pummeling, but she had her arms going like a maniac and she kept hitting me. I would try and move over a bit and she would move right with me and the next think I knew smack, smack, smack. QUIT HITTING ME!!!

I finally eased up a bit and let this woman go. I mean, for all her effort, she wasn't swimming past me, so it was my only hope of going back to a peaceful swim. Honestly, I would rather give up a little time than have her continue to whack at me for another mile or so. I continued to swim off to the side but eventually felt my hand make contact with something. What the heck? I looked up. A branch? Crap! I’m too far over. 

I gave a couple quick strong kicks to move away from the side and immediately felt a twinge in my left foot. A wave of panic washed over me. I had been plagued with foot cramps during swim practice for most of my training. I chalked the training cramps up to running right before swim practice and figured it wouldn’t happen in the race.

I slowed down and tried to convince myself to relax and to not panic. I was nearing the shallow part of the river. If I could make it to the shallow area without a full blown cramp, I was fairly certain I could walk it off. When I finally felt the stringy weeds on my fingers I knew I was almost there. By that point, I was only kicking with my right leg so I wouldn’t make matters worse. I stood up as soon as I could and took several deep breaths and told myself everything was OK and that my foot was not going to cramp. Eventually my foot relaxed and the tightness in my arch subsided. Phew! 

The rest of the swim went well. I remember a time, not too long ago, that my goal was not to swim breaststroke or to roll over onto my back! That goal never even crossed my mind this morning. I may not be setting any sort of swim record, but the swim has gotten a lot better for me since 2013.

Still the best part of the swim ;-)
T1

When I came out of the water I looked for the wetsuit strippers but didn’t see any so I just headed to my bike. Typically, when I am wearing my full sleeve wetsuit, I will take off my Garmin 910XT so I can get my arms out. In my excitement, I forgot this step and found my sleeve caught up around the watch. I had to tug and pull on the wetsuit to get it over the watch and I thought that I may have inadvertently pressed a button or two which would have advanced the timing to the next stage of the race.

Managed to get my sleeve over my Garmin
(Check out those guns!)

Other than my Garmin snafu, T1 went smoothly. I washed and wiped my feet, slipped on my socks, calf sleeves and shoes; snapped on my helmet, stuffed everything into my bag and made the handoff over the fence to HS. I grabbed my bike and was off. I jogged the bike through transition and then walked up the short steep hill to the roadway above. I also took a few bikes of my Cliff bar and stuffed the rest into my top for later on.

On my way!
Bike - Loop 1

I mounted my bike and tried to clip in my left foot. Nothing. I tried the other foot. Still unattached. Apparently my cleats were packed with wet sand from transition. I continued pedaling with my foot resting on top of the pedal while I tapped the opposite shoe against the pedal trying to knock the dirt loose. Eventually I was able to get clipped in, although it didn’t feel like it normally does. After getting that sorted out, I turned my attention to my Garmin.

The first part of the ride is fairly flat and smooth

Prior to the race, I took extra care to make sure I had all of my “auto-pause” settings turned off and that I had my desired views for each sport set to display. For the bike, I had my Garmin set up to show my current speed and my average speed. I looked down at the watch and that screen wasn’t showing. Hmmm. Did I forget to press the button?  I hit the lap button hoping to advance the timing from T1 to Bike. I looked down and the screen still didn’t look right? I hit lap again knowing that at this point, if the correct screen didn’t show, I had probably screwed something up taking off my wetsuit.

At least I got the swim right

The screen on the watch still didn’t look right. It was showing the time of day and some other stuff. Ugh! I decided to not worry about it, but that lasted all of 2 minutes before I was screwing with the watch again. I had the idea to reset the watch and just turn on the bike timing. I tried this, but apparently it still had me in multi-sport mode. I kept trying to look at the watch and figure out what sport I was in but it is difficult to do while moving. I eventually made the decision to turn the watch off completely and ride by feel. I figured I was better off doing this instead of fussing with the stupid watch for 112 miles.

There should only be one multi-sport entry on my Garmin for Vineman,
not two multi-sport and two running.
Riding by feel is difficult for me to do. I kept telling myself that I felt great. Did that mean I was going too slow or I was feeling great because it was only the first loop? I traded positions with a 30 something female for a while before she left me behind. What just happened? Did she just speed up or did I just slow down. I really, really, really wanted to have my Garmin working. At this point, I made one last attempt and turned it back on. I immediately got the message that it could not sync to the satellites while moving. Oh well, this is just how it has to be. I turned it back off.

The rest of the first loop was uneventful.  On the quick descent to Geyersville, I tried to keep my hands off the brakes but I got going pretty quick (too bad I didn’t have my Garmin to record my speed). As I neared the bottom of the hill, I could see the CHP at the turn, but there was no one at the off ramp from the freeway. This was a little unnerving and I slowed to look for cars.

Chalk Hill was a pain just like it always is, but I made the climb and enjoyed the ride down the hill. One thing I noticed on Chalk Hill was the lack of spectators. The last two times I raced this course there was always a crowd at the top of Chalk Hill. There would be chalk markings all over the street and as you would near the top you could hear the cow bells and cheers. This year there was only silence and one lone woman at the top.

As I rode back to the high school to complete the first loop, I was amazed that the bike was half over. The first part of the day went by so quickly! 

Bike - Loop 2

The second loop makes a quick little jog out and back and then heads down Eastside Road en route to Westside Road which is about 9-10 miles from the swim start. I have done this portion of the ride numerous times on our training rides. As I headed down Eastside, I passed a male rider. Of course, this never sits well and within minutes he hammered by me to settle in about 100 yards ahead of me. Whatever. I continued riding and was passed by someone in a white Volvo with their hazard lights flashing.

The car seemed to be slowing down, so I slowed down. What’s with the hazard lights? Seriously, if you have a problem, pull over to the side. Is he holding up a cell phone? It was hard to tell what this person was doing. It couldn't be a SAG vehicle, they were traveling the opposite direction of the racers and they definitely wouldn't purposely try to impede someone.

One thing was for sure, he was definitely slowing down forcing me to slow down until I was just a few feet behind him. Unfortunately for me, this section of the road is fairly narrow. My options were to cross the double yellow and pass on the left and hope that a car didn't come in the opposite direction, or try and pass on the right and hope that he didn't move over and force me off the road into the culvert. 

General vicinity of the Volvo incident (no shoulder and a drop-off to the right) 

Since his windows were down, I hollered “Just drive!” and “Move your car!” I was seriously getting irritated. His response was to slow down further and make a “yapping” movement with his hand. What a freakin’ jerk! Eventually he got bored screwing with me and drove up to the rider in front of me and tailed him until the top of the hill. 


Throughout the ride so far, I had been diligent about eating and drinking. One of my plans for the race was to pee on the bike. So, when the urge to go struck me, I tried to go…and tried…and tried. Nothing. Hmmm. Ok, how about if I come up out of my saddle a bit? Nope. Not happening.  Since I knew I was coming up on an aid station, I decided to stop and use the porta-potty as long as there wasn’t a line. Lucky for me, no one was waiting. I pulled off the road, leaned my bike against the fence and opened the door to sheer horror! There was not a flat surface in that plastic box that was not wet! What the heck happened in here???

At that point, I had to go so bad I didn’t care. I grabbed on to the post and hovered above the hole. Let me just say that I am glad I didn’t go on my bike. Once I started going, I could not stop. I was definitely hydrated and I definitely contributed to the wet surface issue. When I emerged from my little rest break I decided to take a minute and get my Garmin back on track.

All show and no "go" LOL

I turned the watch on and waited for it to sync up with the satellites. I then switched it to bike and pressed start. I was relieved that I would be able to check my pace. My problem now was that I was only going to get a partial average pace. I was already 20 something miles through the second loop. What if that was the speedier section? How would I know if my current average was where I needed to be? There was really no way for me to know so I kept riding by feel.

At the aid station in Geyserville I stopped again. (NOTE: I hit 37+ mph coming down the hill!! Wow!) This time I stopped to refill the Gatorade in my tank and to grab a banana. The nice lady manning the station asked if I would like some sun block and I said "Sure". She slathered sun block all over my back and shoulders and I would be lying if I said it didn't feel great! It was like a mini massage. Can you please keep rubbing my back, please? LOL

The wind started to pick up on the back section of the course so I eased up a bit knowing that Chalk Hill was not too far down the road. At the aid station at the start of Chalk Hill Road I pulled off to the side and used my back-up bottle of water to top off my internal storage tank. The thought was to get rid of any unnecessary weight prior to climbing Chalk Hill the second time. Before I knew it, I was headed back up Chalk Hill for the last time. As I made the climb, I passed a few women competing in Barb’s Race. I crested the top and started to speed down to the bottom.

I passed a couple of riders on my way down even though I was riding my brakes (the road has some rough spots in this section). As I reached the bottom and thing started to flatten out, I over took another rider and started approaching female rider. I’m not sure how fast everyone was going. My guess is somewhere around 18-20 mph. Then everything sort of went into slow motion.

The lady in front of me (maybe 15 yards or less at this point), pulled out her water bottle and tipped her head back to drink while hanging on to the handlebars with her other hand. As I just mentioned above, the road is sort of rough though here and the lady hit a bump or pothole obscured in the shadows and lost control. All of a sudden I see her fly up, hit the ground in front of me and start to slide. The bottle she was holding shot to the left and I had a gap of about 3 feet to aim for so I didn’t run over the top of her or the bottle...either of which would have taken me down too. I was closing in  quick!

Chalk Hill Road at the sight of the crash. She hit the bump in the shaded area.

I screamed when I saw her fly up and hit the ground. My thoughts immediately went to “Should I stop?” “How badly is she hurt?” I sped past her,  My next thoughts were more selfish and I am not proud admitting them, but I started thinking about all the time and money I put into training for this race and that if I stopped, it would pretty much be over for me in terms of reaching my goal. God, that is horrible! I eased my conscience by saying that the riders behind me would stop but what if they had the same attitude as me? Ugh.

I was shaken after this incident and it took some time before I was able to collect myself and concentrate on the race again. I said a prayer for the lady that crashed and hoped that she was not badly injured. Since I was nearing the end of the ride, I reached down for my Endurolyte supplements. Coach K suggested that I try taking these towards the end of the ride. Since I really don’t have a lot of experience taking these, the thought was a little shouldn’t hurt. I pulled the baggy out, hit a small bump and watched my only salt tablets go flying out of my hand. Crap!

T2

As I neared the high school I saw the runners going to and from the turnaround. I remember both times I competed in Barb’s Race seeing the Vineman competitors finishing their ride and thinking “Those poor people still have to run a marathon!” This year I was one of “those poor people”. I rode up to the dismount line, unclipped and started to jog towards T2. I slowed to a walk and hit “stop” on my Garmin and switched it to running. At least I would have a full accounting of my run…or as it turns out…my walk. LOL

Bike done!
This year I opted to tie my laces instead of using bungees. I also had a fresh pair of socks waiting for me which I changed into even though I never managed to take a whiz while riding. I also planned ahead and had a backup stash of Sport Legs (which I also lost somewhere on the ride) and Endurolytes. I had even used permanent marker to mark which white capsule was which. I popped three Sport Leg pills and one or two Endurolytes and headed off.


HS was very proud of this action shot. I like it too!
Run

I was so glad to have my Garmin working for the run. I have a tendency to hop off the bike and run just a little too quickly for my own good. As I made my way out of the T2 maze to the race course, I kept checking the watch and tried to maintain a 10:00 pace. My goal for the run was 10:00-10:30 pace. Once I was out on the actual course, my speed was hovering around 9:30 and I knew that was too fast for me. I also knew that my legs weren’t giving me the correct feedback and that if I didn’t slow down I would pay for it. Eventually I started to get into a good rhythm and then the first hill appeared.

Feeling pretty good early on

I slowed to a walk and made my way up the hill. Once I crested the top it was hard to get started running again…walking felt SOOOOO good. Eventually I started jogging down to the bottom but I was seriously looking forward to the next hill so I could walk again. The run continued this way for the first 8+ mile loop…walk up the hill, convince myself to run again. I also looked forward to the aid stations since they were also a planned “walking” destination.


Loop #2 done
While the aid stations offered all sorts of snacks and drinks, I couldn’t bear to have any more GU or any Shot Blocks or cookies for that matter. For the first few aid stations, I opted for either Gatorade or water with a cup of ice down my top to nibble on until the next aid station. Eventually I tired of even Gatorade and switched to cola. Some stations offered warm flat cola other stations had ice in theirs, I enjoyed both variations. I also ate quite a few chunks of banana along the way as well as a few handfuls of grapes. I liked the grapes because they were portable and they didn’t make your hands sticky. Twice I tried eating corn chips just to get some salt, but they just seemed to stick in my mouth.

After the incident in the river with my foot, I was afraid of what would happen on the run. As the miles added up, my calves started to feel tight and my Achilles started to ache but these pains weren't really debilitating. I wondered if my legs would have felt better if I was able to take some Endurolytes (which I didn't have). Throughout the run course, I noticed a lot of white capsules spilled along the road. My first thought was “Hmmm…those look like Sport Legs” and my second thought was “No! Do NOT eat unknown white pills off the road!”

Since my race plan was to walk the hills, I tried my best to stick to that goal. However, as the race went on, my definition of a hill got flatter and flatter.  Is that a slight incline up ahead? Yup! That’s a hill. So, the last eight miles included a LOT of walking. On the last turn around I told the people watching the timing mat that I was going to slow down and get my money’s worth. They laughed and cheered me on.
That doesn't look like a hill to me! LOL

As I made my way past the last aid station, I didn’t stop. I had less than a mile to go. This journey was almost over and I didn’t need one last sip of cola or chunk of banana to get me to the finish line. I wish I could say that I dug deep and powered my way to the finish line, but I didn’t. I just really didn’t have it in me to do that.

Throughout the run I traded spots with a guy wearing a Pearl Izumi kit similar to mine (his was green and blue). We chatted a bit while "running" about how comfortable they were and how much we liked them. He ran past me in the last half mile yelling "Go Zumi! Run team Izumi!" I guess he was just as giddy as I was about finishing this thing :-)

I did run the last quarter mile to the school because there were still spectators lining the street and I thought it would be a little too embarrassing to walk at this point. As I ran past the aid station/special needs pickup at the school they offered me something to drink and I said “No thanks…I’m done!” I got more cheers and that put a little pep in my step to get me the last couple hundred yards to the finish.

And just like that...it was over :-)
Post Race

Now that the race is over and I survived, I ask myself “What were you so worried about?”

Get these shoes off my feet!
For all the miles covered, my only real complaint at the end of the race was sore toes.

WE did it!!!!
(Best picture ever!)
Thankfully, HS had already packed up my stuff so all I had to do after the race was walk to the truck. When we got back to the cabin, HS and Max headed down to the roadhouse to get a couple of pizzas. I was so excited from the day, that I had a hard time unwinding. Even after a warm shower and a glass of wine I was still feeling wired. Lindsey and I ended up staying awake until after 10pm chatting and watching TV. Eventually I started to doze off so we decided to call it a night.

Around 2am I woke up, sick to my stomach. I didn't throw up or anything, I was just extremely nauseous. Even 7-Up and ginger chews didn't seem to help. This general feeling of "yuck" continued throughout Sunday and into Monday.

The Next Day

Early results for my age group showed me in 4th place. I was really bummed even though I was within my goal time. Seriously, just finishing should have been enough. Anyway, as I looked at the results of the 2nd place female, something didn't seem right. She had a extraordinarily fast bike split. Her first 28 mile leg only averaged 13.8 mph.  However, her final bike time was 4 hours and 18 minutes for an average bike speed of 26 mph!! Since I was unable to get ahold of anyone Saturday night after the race, we headed back to Windsor High School prior to the award ceremony on Sunday to try and talk to someone.

As it turned out, the issue with her bike split had already been noted and she had been given a DNF. Apparently, she only did one loop on the bike. I can't say I blame her ;-) This moved me up to 3rd and on to the podium.

Just a little happy LOL
I wish Jonya would teach me to run ;-)

OK, one more pic
I think I must have inspired Ashley and Lindsey a bit with this race. During the award ceremony we made plans to do a Vineman relay next year. Lindsey is going to swim (Yay!), Ashley is going to run (Yay!) and I just get to ride my bike (Yay! Yay! Yay!) The funniest thing during our discussion was listening to the girls. Ashley looked at Lindsey and dead-serious said "You better not swim slow." I think Lindsey didn't appreciate this much because she responded with a sharp "You better not run slow." I think we've got a team!

Ailments

It took a couple of days for a true assessment of all of the damage I inflicted on myself, but the list is short.

1) Two severely bruised and blistered toes.

Oh, this is why my toe hurt so bad!
2) Worst wetsuit rub burn I have ever had. The morning after my race I told HS "I don't think I washed all the Glide off my neck." HS looked at the back of my neck and remarked "That's not Glide." Oh, great...I've got oozing crusty sores on the back of my neck. I guess the good news is that my hair covers most of them.

3) Raw spots on my inner thighs from the bike. (New saddle has already been ordered).

Other than those three things and my loss of appetite for a couple of days, I felt surprisingly great. In fact, I have felt worse in terms of muscle soreness following a straight marathon. However, that may be because I actually try and run those. LOL

Race Reflection 

After the race I got a nice message from Coach K congratulating me.  He told me to spend a couple of days thinking about ideas for my "next time"...things I need "to do" and "don't do"...ideas about racing and training that I might have done differently.

Overall I am happy with the outcome and my finishing time. I am even happier because I see lots of room for improvement.

Swim
While I was OK with my swim performance, I know I could have put a little more effort into it. There was no need for me to treat the entire 2.4 miles as a cool-down set. 
Bike
The bike was probably my biggest disappointment. I missed my goal time by 10-15 minutes. Some of that was due to things that were out of my control, but I also think I was just a little too conservative at times. 
Run
While I was probably off the mark the most on the run, it doesn't bother me as much as the bike. On any given day I may run great or I may run like crap. Given my history with calf and ankle problems, any time I can finish a run is a good day...even if I walked a little more than I wanted (and probably needed) to walk. My run has lots and lots and lots of room for improvement. 

Here are the ideas I came up with for Coach K:
  1. Get a bike fit. While the new aerobars felt 10x better, I think there is still something not right with the seat height and position. I knew this going into the race but I didn't want to change anything too close to race day.
  2. If it's going to be a hilly run course, train on hills more.
  3. Find a way to incorporate strength training when appropriate.
  4. Run more.
  5. Find a way to bust my mental hurdles.
  6. Don't be so conservative on race day.
  7. Be 5-8 lbs lighter.
Coach K said he agreed with most of my points but then added that he trained me with the idea of getting me ready to "complete" the event, not "race" it. This excites me and scares me. If all the training I did was just to complete the event, what in the heck does training to race look like? Yikes!!!

This journey has been a lot like child birth. After several months of planning and preparation, the big day finally arrives. You are filled with anticipation and you are a little terrified. You know you are going to cherish the outcome, but you have no idea how long the process is going to take or how you are going to feel. Part of the way through the "big day" you decide "that's enough...I want to go home". Before you know it, it's all over and it's one of the best days of your life. Of course, parts of your body that should never hurt, hurt like hell and you swear to yourself you will never do that again. Next thing you know, "baby" #2 is on the way ;-)


#EndureAndEnjoy 


Friday, January 23, 2015

My New Coach

One day after completing Barb's Race 2014 I knew I wanted to do the full Vineman in 2015.  I immediately began re-reading The Triathlete's Training Bible (for the third or fourth time) and planning out my season. In fact, my plan for Vineman started the Monday after Barb's Race.

Time off? Ain't nobody got time for that!


I also re-did my "natural abilties" profile (page 69) and once again found endurance to be my strong point. I also found my force and speed to be lacking (no surprise there). This was good info and I was going to use it to build my annual training plan (ATP).

I'd rather have endurance than speed for Vineman
As with my past attempts, I became overwhelmed by all the info in The Triathlete's Training Bible. How was I going to come up with a plan that addressed my lack of speed and force? How was I going to improve my endurance so I didn't suffer too greatly over the 140.6 mile race? I penciled in a plan based on 3 weeks on, 1 week off starting from Vineman 2015 and working my way back. I then added my "big days" and a few races and that was about as far as I got.

I started researching training plans online and signed up for TrainingPeaks to track my ATP. A few people I know that have completed a full iron-distance race told me that I needed a coach...a coach that has raced the distance. I looked at some of their recommendations and wasn't too sure if I would be able to work with a coach. I looked at pre-made online training plans and found the "samples" to be just as confusing as the TTB. What was I going to do?

The Answer

Then, Coach +James (aka F'n James) posted this on our tri club's Facebook page...


So, like any good stalker...I mean triathlete...I Googled +Bob Korock. Who was this guy and did he really do Kona five times? As his competitive history was revealed (Thank you www.athlinks.com), I also discovered athletes that had trained under him...so I Googled them too :-)

Lodi New-Sentinel - July 20, 1988

My next question was "Why would Bob Korock want to train the likes of me?" I am clearly way, way, WAY below the athletes I found online.

First Meeting

After signing up for Vineman, I contacted Bob and set up a meeting with him and HS (If I was going to hire a coach, HS needed to be just as comfortable with the coach as I was). We met at Starbucks and spent a good hour discussing contracting, kids, and of course triathlons & training.

My initial thought was he seemed easy going and not like some overly-intense (scary) triathlete. On top of that, he is around my age so he understands what it feels like to be a 40+ athlete. Throw in a contracting business and other hobbies and interests and it would seem that he clearly understands how to balance life with training.

HS and I discussed the meeting and we both thought it would be a good idea for me to work with Bob. I contact Coach K a few days later and let him know that I wanted to proceed and would start my training in January 2015 (after taking a few weeks off after CIM).

The Start of Training

Prior to the start of my actual training, Coach K sent me a couple of templates and asked what I thought. I made a few comments, but the base plan didn't seem too bad. In fact, on paper it almost looked too easy. In the beginning of January, Coach K activated my calendar and my initial training plan was revealed to me. What the...?

When I saw the plan I was taken aback by the simplicity. Is this all there is? I was expecting some sort of plan like those I had found on the internet...something that could only be translated by the mad-scientist that came up with it. Something complicated. Something highly detailed. Something super hard.

I questioned the training plan and asked about workout specifics. Coach K's response was "Endurance training should not be really complicated." Hmmm...Ok, I'm good with uncomplicated. In fact, HS calls me "Rain Girl" because of my routines (eating, training, TV, etc). I love consistency and stability. My previous (homemade) training plans were so consistent that even F'n James had my training schedule memorized.  Whatever! It works!

Three minutes to Wapner ;-)


#dreamingseason +TrainingPeaks