Father's Day Triathlon 2013 - Race Report

Let me say that this race was the first time I was more excited for other people crossing the finish line than I was for myself. This was the graduation race for our Tri 101 group and the graduates included HS and BFF.

The race was originally advertised with 4 separate wave starts. The first 3 waves were supposed to be all male and the fourth and final wave was to be all females. However, at check in, I was handed a red cap and my daughter was handed a green cap. Uh oh! As it turned out, the waves were restructured to be solely by age and not gender. I was bummed...I had been planning on watching HS start his swim, now he was going to be watching me.

Pre-Race

Mother nature can be unfair to females...especially aging females. Let's just say that Aunt Flo made an early and unexpected appearance on race morning which really threw a wrench in my plans. I have been really good about tracking her visits in anticipation of Barb's Race and her visit this race morning was not as planned. ARGHH!  "Aunt Flo! What are you doing here?  You're not supposed to be here today. It's race day! Can't you come back tomorrow???"

I should have known better, I had only been getting about 3-4 hours of sleep a night for the past few nights, which is usually a good indicator of things to come. However, I chalked up the sleepless nights to pre-race anxiety.  Not anxiety for my own race, but anxiety for others in the group. I was nervous for everyone...hoping that their races went well and that they got the same addictive, finish-line feeling that hooked me last year.

Anyway, once I dealt with my visitor and added some extra items to my transition bag, I fixed myself a chia seed drink and made a pot of coffee. Trying to get three triathletes out of the house can be quite a task and I hoped we had everything we all needed. With my husband and daughter doing their first triathlons I felt responsible for packing their gear as well as my own. If you think its stressful trying to remember all of your own stuff, try doing it for a couple of other people.

Coach James doing his thing

In the rush to get out of the house, I left my coffee on the counter. Not good. I was having a difficult time waking up and desperately needed some caffeine. HS let me have some of his coffee, but I didn't want to drink too much. No sense in him having to give up his coffee just because I forgot mine. I remedied my lack of coffee by downing the Red Bull that TBF Racing always provides at check-in. Thank you, TBF!!!

Warm-up

James went over some last minute tips with our group and then told us to get ready to warm up. I got my wet suit on and headed down to the water with Loo. The water felt nice and was probably warm enough to swim in without a wet suit, but I'm not ready for that.

As I swam back and forth in the warm-up area, I scoped out the other females, looking for women in red caps. To my surprise, there didn't seem to be a lot. There were a lot of men in red caps and I did not like the look of that.  The 40-49 males can be quite fast and I've seen first hand (with the men in our group) what happens when testosterone kicks in...they turn into race animals! God help the woman that passes a man :-)

It was at this point that F'n James  made an appearance (sometimes he's just James, sometimes he's F'n James) and told me that he wanted me to get out in front of the group (either he's crazy or he's trying to kill me). He said there were a lot of first timers and that I shouldn't have a problem. What he failed to mention was that trying to get out in front of a bunch of testosterone crazed males could be detrimental to my health. 

Swim

When my wave started, I dove in and started swimming fast (for me). I quickly found myself between two men who were squeezing me from both sides. I would have tried to maneuver away from them, but there was another man behind me climbing up my back. Women are not this rough (rude)! I eventually stopped to let the animals go by (see you on the bike course a-holes!!!)

The rest of the swim was OK...even though I was preoccupied with how all my friends in white caps were doing. I would try and sneak a peek when I was sighting. It was inspiring to see the white caps spreading out across the water knowing that HS and BFF were out there somewhere along with James, Nancy, Mojo, Jordan, and Stephanie. Swim well my friends!

White caps getting ready to start

The rough swim start really seemed to take it out of me and I found myself struggling a bit a the end. A red cap female passed me in the last 100 yards so I tried to keep up with her without draining the last bit of energy I felt I had. I swam well past the point where I could have stood up. There are rocks on the bottom and swimming is definitely faster than trying to walk out of the water.

T1

When I came out of the water, I saw the woman that passed me. She was only about 10 yards in front of me...and she was WALKING! I started to run up the hill. It's grassy and shady, probably one of the nicest transition runs. I quickly caught and passed the walking red cap. I unzipped my wet suit and hustled over to my bike.

The wet suit came off easily. I put on my bike shoes and took a swig of Gatorade. I fumbled with my helmet and glasses a bit but still managed to get moving out to the bike course in short order. I glanced to my right and saw "red cap lady" leisurely changing into her bike gear. Hope she's not as fast on the bike as she was in the water.

Bike

The bike course was 8 miles. Not a lot of time to make up any distance or gain any kind of lead. Since this was my second time on this course, I was prepared for the speed bumps and bippity bips on the way out of the park. I am also more confident that riding over bumps will not cause my bike to fall apart, so I started riding as fast as I could...speed bumps be damned!

About 3 miles into my ride, I realized I forgot to push the button on my watch to switch from swimming to biking...no splits for me :-(.

I passed a lot of riders on the way out to the turn around. I secretly hoped that those riders included the men that made my swim start so miserable. Loo and I crossed paths briefly, but I was not really concerned with her. I wanted to see HS and BFF. 

Seeing HS and BFF would put my mind at ease. I wanted to know that their first triathlon swim had gone well and that they were out of the water and on their bikes. I eventually saw HS. The sight of him brought tears to my eyes.  Shortly after that, I saw BFF with James. YAY!!!  I was so relieved and happy that I started crying (crying is definitely allowed in triathlon).

T2

I rode to the dismount line and unclipped without incident. I ran my bike over to the rack and quickly changed to my running gear. My feet were a bit sweaty and I had a problem getting my shoes on. I'm not entirely sold on this new pair of Brooks Pure Cadence (at least not as a race shoe). They just don't seem to slip on as easily as my last pair (the opening for the laces is shaped differently or something).

Run

My plan for this race was to run as fast as I could and not walk. I guess you could say I did that. I definitely didn't walk during the 2 mile run, but the "as fast as I could" is up for debate. I had envisioned myself flying up and over the hills...heck, it was only 2 miles...yeah, right. It's never only 1 mile or 2 miles or 10 miles. It's a triathlon, and if you have been racing the swim and the bike, you are going to be tired on the run. If you're not tired on the run, you weren't going hard enough in the beginning or you're on a relay team!  LOL

When I saw the finish line, I tried to kick it up a notch, but I'm not entirely sure I was able to find that last gear. The clock read 1:01 something when I crossed the finished. It required some math on my part to calculate my time (clock time less 10 minutes for my wave start). My official time of 51:41 meant that I had beat my goal time of 52 minutes. I was very happy with my race, but it wasn't the best part of my day.

Believe it or not, this was not the highlight of my day

After the race, James asked how I did and I said I wasn't going to tell him (at that point I knew I had won my age group) because his usual response is something sweet like "I hate you" or "You make me sick" (he's lucky I don't take statements like that personally LOL!).

The award ceremony started and the top male finisher was called up to the podium. Next the announcer said "and with a winning time of 51:41" and I'm standing there thinking "Hey that's the same as my time"?!?! and then he said my name! I was shocked, but that still wasn't the best part of the day...

Post-Race (The Best Part of the Day)

The best part of the day was watching my friends & teammates cross the finish line for the first time. I was so excited and happy for everyone as they finished...as they accomplished something they never thought they could do. It was truly an amazing day. 

Spring 2013 - LMT Triathlon 101 Graduating Class

TBF Racing made this particular race extra special. There were finisher medals (nice ones) & finisher certificates (with your time printed on it), a coffee mug and of course a race shirt!

Coach James must be very, very proud. He had EIGHT individual athletes (me, Loo, HS, Jacob, Mojo, Nancy (who still needs a nickname), Lajla, and BFF) on the podium as well as one relay team. Way to go coach!

HS was recognized as the patriarch of the Pengilly racing family. I know it meant a lot to him to have his family out there racing together (now to get the grandkids to do a kids triathlon). It was a nice highlight to Father's Day. All in all, it was a great day!!!

The Pengilly Racing Family

Tuesday Night Fleet Feet Run (No beer, prizes or Tony)

Tuesday's Fleet Feet run was well attended although much quieter than usual. Tony was not at the store so everyone just basically showed up and ran.  No rah rah speech or crazy antics, just running.

HS decided to run to run with me to the store from our house (instead of taking the truck). When the run started, he took off like a bat out of hell. I thought that maybe he was trying to hurt himself so he didn't have to do the triathlon on Sunday ;-) I had the honor of running with Mr. T tonight (how many people can say that!). I pity da foo!

Wore my new tri top tonight

Fashion Break

I tried out my new tri top by Betty Designs (never try anything new on race day!)  I really like the looks of their clothes and the fit is not bad either. My only complaint is that the built in bra is a bit lacking in the support department and I had to wear a sports bra underneath.  What I really liked about Betty Designs is that the owner/designer emailed me back when I asked a question about the fit. Talk about service!

Eventually I would like to try out a SOAS Racing outfit, but all of their stuff is sold out everywhere I look! Anyway, I'm going to be wearing the complete Betty Designs outfit this Sunday at the Father's Day Triathlon.  The shorts say "Kick Butt" on the back, but it's covered with the shirt ;-)

Now back to the run...

The 1.25 miles from the house to Fleet Feet was basically a warm-up. The 4.8 +/- miles of the Fleet Feet run was at a pretty good pace (especially with the way I've been feeling). I wasn't entirely sure who was pushing who through the run. Sometimes I thought I was pushing Mr. T, but then other times, he was definitely pushing me! I considered walking (I always consider walking Ha Ha) but I could not have Mr. T report back to BFF that I walked.

We got back to the store and cooled down/stretched a bit before heading home. HS hitched a ride with Mr. T and I ran home with Nancy (I need to figure out a nickname for her). Actually, I ran as far as my house and Nancy had to go little bit further on her own. It was nice to have a female running buddy to chat with for a change ;-)

Tuesday Fleet Feet Run by tpengilly at Garmin Connect - Details

Racing Schedule

Barb's Race is quickly approaching, but that race is not the end of the season. There are plenty of other races and activities to consider. The following are my top picks:

Crazy Eights Trail Run #3 (August 25)

I plan on taking it easy during the month of August and am undecided about whether or not I will do a triathlon this month. That being said, I still plan on doing this 8K trail run. Last year Los Vaqueros was crazy windy, but it was still a fun race (even considering the monster hill). Hopefully, some of my running buddies will decide to join me at this race.

http://www.fleetfeetstockton.com/resources/crazy-ei8hts-8k-trail

Central Valley Triathlon (September 22)

I haven't done this race before, but it's close to home and it offers 2 different distances which is perfect for me and Hot Stuff (and anybody else that wants to join us).  There is a sprint distance race consisting of 500-yard swim, 16-mile bike, and 5K run as well as an Olympic distance race.

Both course feature: SWIM: warm water in clean lake.  BIKE: paved rolling county roads with little traffic.  RUN: on paved and jeep roads.  Judging from past years' results, it is a relatively small event.

http://www.fleetfeetstockton.com/resources/central-valley-triathlon

Golden State Triathlon and Super Sprint Triathlon (October 13)

Once again, this race will be the graduation race for the Triathlon 101 class. However, this year, instead of doing the super sprint, I will do the longer distance race. Last year the 1/2 mile swim seemed daunting...this year, not so much ;-)

First graduating tri class

http://www.tbfracing.com/events/goldenstate.html

Annual Salmon Duathlon (November 2)

It got a little warm last year

At this point, the triathlon season is over, so it's time to find other types of races. I did this race last year and had a blast! I'm looking forward to going back and trying to improve my time.

The Salmon Duathlon course is a 5K run (two loops), a 30K bike ride (rolling hills) and a 2.5K run (one loop of the run course). The Duathlon and the 5K run courses are on paved surfaces that run through rolling hills and features running along the Stanislaus River, through the Knights Ferry covered bridge (the longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi), and into and around Knights Ferry – all of this, plus the beautiful fall foliage in full season!

California International Marathon (December 8)

Why not?  LOL  After last year's marathon, running in a straight line for 26.2 miles is going to be a joy!

No Wonder I'm Tired

Last Sunday I completed my first olympic distance triathlon. I was feeling pretty good after the race (actually, I felt GREAT after the race), so I didn't feel the need to back off on my training or take a day off. So, In true Tracy fashion, I pushed it a little harder this week (anyone who feels the need to give me their 2 cents can zip it right now!  LOL).

Totals for the Week

Swim: 4 times for a total of 4.21 miles or appx. 7,409.6 yards
Bike: 2 times, 45 minute hill session on the trainer, 18.11 miles at Camanche
Run: 4 times for a total of 28.03 miles

All Alone in Open Water

James gave us the option of coming 1/2 an hour early to the group open water swim on Saturday so we could swim out to the 5 MPH buoy. I wanted to get some more distance in, so HS and I headed up to Lake Camanche bright and early.  Since we had two kayaks to accompany us on our swim, James decided that he didn't need his David Hasselhoff lifeguard buoy.

I started off nice and easy. Eventually, Johan caught and passed me. I was fine with that as I wasn't in a particular hurry. I rolled on my back to see where the rest of the group was and noticed that they were a ways back and that the kayaks were with them. I continued to swim, but my anxiety grew the further I got out.

As I neared the buoy, a couple of jet skis zoomed up and thankfully cut their engines. They really weren't close enough to be an issue, but they were a reminder that I was but a mere speck on the lake and the boaters were starting to wake up. I opted for breaststroke so I could see what was going on around me.

When I turned around the buoy and started heading back, I realized that the kayaks were still close to shore!  WTF!!! Any confidence I had quickly evaporated. I finally saw James and then Eric, but it was not much comfort, I wanted to be back to shore.

5 MPH Buoy by tpengilly at Garmin Connect - Details

After the long swim and a couple shorter distance swims, a small group of us headed out for a ride while James conducted the final bike clinic for the group. I feel a lot better on my TT bike...shifting gears, climbing hills, and staying aero on the turns no longer terrifies me. The only problem I had on this ride was with my back wheel coming loose again and grabbing like it did at Angels Camp.

I would like to go back to Camanche and do a double loop of this route!

Camanche Ride by tpengilly at Garmin Connect - Details

Sunday Long Run

Saturday was extremely hot in Stockton, so I decided that I would get up early on Sunday and go for my long run to avoid the heat.  I rolled out of bed at 5am, reheated some coffee and ate half a protein bar.  This was definitely not the way to start out a long run. On top of that, my legs were a little tired :-)

Sunday Long Run by tpengilly at Garmin Connect - Details

Next Week

I plan on swimming Monday night and probably doing the P90X Stretch routine. Of course Tuesday is the Fleet Feet run and then swimming again on Wednesday. Thursday will be a complete rest day for me with an early AM swim on Friday and maybe a run in the afternoon. Not sure about Saturday yet but I will be racing again on Sunday. Can't wait to see our athletes cross the finish line!

Wife Math and Other Stuff

How I'm Going to Save HS a Lot of Money

It seems that with bicycles, the price of components goes up significantly as the weight of the component goes down. Take for example pedals. I have the 105’s on my road bike and the Ultegra carbon pedals on my TT bike. For the purpose of this example, I’ll use the MSRP. Note: I paid (or actually HS paid) a lots less than the MSRP ;-)

• 260g Shimano Ultegra Carbon $299.99 MSRP
• 325g Shimano 105 $109.99 MSRP

Between the two types of pedals, there is a 65g weight difference or roughly .14 pounds or 2.24 ounces. This small difference costs $190. Now I don’t know about you, but I can stand to drop a few pounds. If 2.24 ounces costs $190, losing 5 pounds would be like saving $6,785.71!!! Do you know what I could buy with that?

I’ll be generous and I’ll save HS even more money by only spending half of my savings!  How could he say “No” to that?  Unfortunately, Hot Stuff never fully appreciates my powers of saving him money at Dillard's so this may be a hard sell ;-)

So here's what I want to buy:

1. A new wetsuit (since I ripped my other one). Appx. $280
2. A different race outfit. I mean, come on! I don't want all my race photos in the same clothes. Appx. $180
3. A bike fitting. Appx. $150

With all that money I'm going to save him, we have enough left over for him to get a new bike! If I lose 10 pounds, watch out!

Daily Double

I was having a hard time sleeping last night, so at 3:30am I decided to just get up and do a workout on the trainer. I am continuing on my quest to turn my body into a hill flattening machine, so I did Spinervals 7.0 "The Uphill Grind". It may only be 45 minutes but I was drenched in sweat when I was finished, and I'm not really a "sweater".

This evening, my second workout was the Fleet Feet Tuesday night run. Instead of riding with HS to the store, I ran the 1.25 miles from my house.  This brought my total to over 6 miles. Next time  I will run home too.

Fleet Feet Tuesday Night Run - Mizuno & Stockton Joes by tpengilly at Garmin Connect - Details

It was not a particularly fast run for me. My legs were still tired from the race on Sunday and this morning's trainer session. That being said, I pushed it at the end because this guy had been drafting me for the entire run ( James  can appreciate that LOL). I could hear this guy behind me the entire run. On top of that, he waited until the last 1/4 mile and then blasted past me. Well played heavy breather, well played.

The Fleet Feet run wrapped up at Stockton Joe's for drinks, snacks and raffle prizes. I was not a winner. I did have a nice glass of wine though and we had a good time chatting with Nancy and her hubby. During our talk about support crews during a race, an idea came to me for the next Tri 101 class...we can have a special training day for our loved ones that are tasked with holding our water bottles, drying our tears, and other thankless tasks. Hot Stuff can do a special session on how to stand at the edge of transition and yell "Take your helmet off!" LOL

Food for Thought

Well, on my quest to save Hot Stuff obscene amounts of money, I am working on watching what I eat. This morning, after my workout, I fixed us black beans and eggs, with a glass of FRS (ChlorOxygen

A little sriracha sauce goes a long way

added), and coffee. My food for the day consisted of Shakeology with a banana, a protein bar, a can of tuna & salad, and a small bag of almonds.  Dinner was grilled chicken and salad (I won't mention the crap I ate at Stockton Joe's after the run...it probably cost me $400! ha ha ha ha)

Countdown to Barb's Race

Now that I've completed my first Olympic distance triathlon, I know I will be able to do the swim at Barb's Race. I've never doubted by ability to do the bike or run. It was only the swim I was worried about.

In the next several weeks, I will be ramping up my workouts. I definitely need to get more running miles in as well as more time on the bike. The only way I can see this happening is doubling up on my workouts. I also need to drop several pounds to get to my race weight.

Now, before anybody tells me I'm too skinny, zip it. I know where I should be and I know the difference it will make in my racing. Trust me. Until Barb's Race is done, I am swearing off candy and sweets...except for some wedding cake at the end of June ;-) If you see me with a bag of Skittles in my hand you have permission to slap it away (I'm offering reciprocal services for mochas and potato chips LOL).

Recovery Day

Physically I'm feeling pretty good after yesterday's race. Much better than after the Avenue of the Vines half marathon. I really didn't think my legs were tired until I got about 1/2 way through today's run.  However, it was pretty warm and very windy, so that could have been part of it. I've got to learn to deal with the heat, though, and will be doing most of my runs in the afternoon.

Recovery Run by tpengilly at Garmin Connect - Details

After our run, Hot Stuff and I came home, changed clothes, grabbed a chia seed drink, and headed to Lodi for swim practice. My arms felt tired for the first couple hundred yards of swimming, but after a bit, everything felt great. I would never have believed that I would enjoy swim practice as much as I do. I used to dread swim practice and would worry about what sort of workout James was going to give us.

Recovery Swim by tpengilly at Garmin Connect - Details

NOTE: All but the first 200y warmup was pulling...had to give my legs a little rest :-)

Tri for Real #1 - Race Report

Today was my first Olympic distance race. To say I was hesitant about doing this race would be an understatement. The main reason I did this race is because James said I had to do it. Deep down, I knew he was right, but I was really, really nervous about the swim.  Completing the swim would ease my mind about Barb's race...failing this swim would derail any confidence I had built up.

Pre-Race

This morning did not start off well. On Saturday, Hot Stuff, James, and MT did a relay at the "Tri for Fun". I packed the small ice chest with Gatorade and Red Bull for Hot Stuff.  When we came home from the race, I put the ice chest away and put the blue ice in the freezer knowing that I needed it today. When I got up and looked for the ice chest, it was no where to be found.  I asked HS where it was.  He looked around for a while before checking his truck.

You see, yesterday was my daughter's bridal shower. So while the girls played games, drank champagne cocktails, and talked wedding stuff, my future son-in-law and HS took the boat out. They also took the ice chest and my blue ice. So when HS brought the ice chest in from his truck this morning, he noted that the blue ice was in it and that it wasn't going to be cold. I went to the freezer to get ice for my drinks only to find that yesterday's party (and after party) depleted the ice and not much had been made overnight.  Ugh!

I then went to make my standard pre-race breakfast of eggs on toast only to find that my house guests had finished off the eggs. I resorted to making the chia seed and lime juice drink I read about in "Born to Run". It was a staple of the Tarahumara and helped fuel their runs.  I also had about 1/2 a banana and a cup of coffee. My nerves were clearly getting the better of me and I found it hard to eat.

HS on the other hand was hungry and didn't see anything he wanted at the house. Instead of heading straight to the race we had to make a pit stop at McDonald's so he could eat. Yuck! We made it to Rancho Seco about the same time as yesterday, so all was well.

Once I got there, I found James setting up his transition area. I racked my bike next to his and headed over to the check in area. Once I was done, I came back and set up my area. James was out riding his bike, so I took off for a short run. When I returned, he came over and said some I took to be "Good morning". HS informed me that James told me it was time to warm up. I guess we only hear what we want to hear LOL!

I generously applied baby oil to my legs and eased up my wetsuit. After it was up over my hips, I tried working the legs up a bit...R-I-P-P-P-P! NO!  I ripped a 2" hole in my wetsuit. ARGH!!! I walked down to the water wondering how this was going to affect my swim. I showed James what I did but he said it would be fine. We waded into the water and started swimming in the roped off area.

James went under the rope and told me to do the same. His plan was to swim out to the first buoy. I told him "No. I don't want to go that far". Thankfully, he decided to swim off on his own. The last thing I wanted to do was add any extra distance to my swim that morning or wear myself out.

Swim

My goal for the swim was to finish. That's it...oh, and NO backstroke and not too much breaststroke.

During my swim I kept singing "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line over and over and over. I had

Lap button pressed - swim is officially over

planned to preoccupy myself with "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid or "Hakuna Matata" from The Lion King, but for whatever reason, this was the song that started playing.

I also thought about taking long graceful strokes, hip rotation, breathing...stuff like that. Not once did I think "What the heck am I doing out here"...and that's a first! Every once in a while I would get excited..."Hey!  You're passing a yellow cap!" (The wave in front of my wave). I also focused on not kicking too much and wearing out my legs.

I thought my sighting was pretty good until I checked my Garmin results. I also ran into the last big buoy before existing the water...oh well. I was so happy to have finished the swim!

If you look at my swim results, make sure you check out the map...I wasn't exactly swimming in a straight line ;-)

Tri for Real - Swim by tpengilly at Garmin Connect - Details

T1

Feeling so good after the swim that I actually ran up the grass to the transition area. I quickly stripped off my wet suit. I got my helmet and shoes on without incident and had a GU and some water before heading out on the road.

Bike

I really didn't have a goal for the bike, other than speed. I had hoped to average 20 mph but I was a bit slower than that. I remembered James saying something about not going out too fast... or something like that. LOL. I just did what felt right and made sure there was no "cruising" on the descents. If I was headed down hill, I was in the big chain ring and I was pedaling.

Tri for Real - Bike by tpengilly at Garmin Connect - Details

T2

This transition was fairly quick and smooth. HS made sure I took my helmet off. I had a GU and some Red Bull and some water. HS had a bottle of ice cold water that I dumped over myself.

Run

By the time I started running, it was hot...or at least it felt hot to me. On top of that there were lots of "rolling" hills. The first half of the run was on a dirt road. We ran for a brief stretch on asphalt and then switched to a wide, single track trail. Thankfully, the second half of the run seemed to have less hills on it.

I made a point to drink a cup of water and pour one over me at each aid station. At the final aid station, they handed me the cup of water and told me it was ice cold. The reason it was ice cold was because it was full of ice. When I poured the cup of water down the front of me it filled my sports bra with ice!  Hmmm...not too bad.

For the next 1/2 mile or so, I munched on ice cubes conveniently located within arms reach. LOL! I'm sure the runners I passed wondered what the heck I was eating out of my top, but I could care less what they thought. It was soooo refreshing and cool...I was so sad when I ran out of ice.

I would consider this run a success. My main goal was to not walk....or at least not too much. I pushed for as long as I could but I did walk for a bit when I thought both of my quads were going to cramp up. Other than than, I pushed through the discomfort and chased down every pony tail I saw.

Tri for Real - Run by tpengilly at Garmin Connect - Details