Good Try @ My 1st Tri!

Last weekend I entered my first sprint-triathlon in Sigourney, IA. I was a bit apprehensive to say the least as I woke up Sunday morning as I drove to the race start. I had no clue on how clustered it would be to get my stuff to the appropriate transition areas, as it turned out it was pretty easy (I think just because it was a smaller race). I spent ample time setting up everything just right so I would not waste too much time in the transitions. Then I took a short warm up bike ride and run to ensure I was going to feel comfortable in each different leg. As the time drew near I was getting anxious and excited.

3…2…1… Go! I heard as I dove into the pool and began my lap swims. My heart was racing and my breathing was erratic! I had to slow myself down and get into a rhythm as I continued swimming, otherwise I thought would surely drown the last lap! I thank the good Lord that it was in the pool because I am not positive I am ready for an open water swim with a swarm of other swimmers. I finally made it to the end wall of my last lap and hopped out of the pool, gasping for air and running to my bike (a quick realization that I am not in as good of shape as I thought).

I slapped my bike shoes and helmet on, grabbed my bike, and headed for the road. I learned from the leaders to clip my shoes in pre-race and just jump into them- something that definitely needs to be practiced by me. I spent the entire 1^st mile catching my breath from the swim and finally got into a groove on the bike. As I felt like I was cooking along I had two other cyclists fly by me, pretty sure I need to work on my biking skills too :). I rode up the last hill to the transition area, tirelessly down shifting due to the lack of speed coming into the hill, and almost flawlessly unclipped from the bike & running to my running shoes.

I slipped on my shoes and headed for the road again, knowing this should be my strong point I tried to give it hell right away. One problem exists at this point- my legs felt like jell-o and were not ready for sprint! After the first quarter mile I was able to regain my running form and prove a fairly strong run to the finish passing six people along the way.

Since we had a staggered start I was unsure on where I actually finished up and decided to wait around for the awards and results. Much to my surprise I competed fairly well; finishing 14^th overall and 4^th in my age group. I know that with some extra training and speed work in all categories I can have a better try at the next tri, but I am happy with the initial results. :)

“Never be afraid to try something new – remember amateurs built the Ark and professionals built the Titanic.”

Running on Fumes in the Heat

As the 4th of July weekend approached us I was getting the itch to race so I found a 5k to run on Saturday in Williamsburg and a 10k to run on Monday in Sigourney. Since I have not been able to run a couple of my ultra-marathons that I wanted to, I decided to begin working on speed in hopes of setting some PR's and build up to a what will (hopefully) be a phenomenal 50 miler this fall in Chicago.

I was able to wake up in the muggy early morning Iowa summer and set one foot in front of the other faster than I have done before. Each race had its own twist, one with so many turns I had to go fast to keep up for fear of getting lost and the other with several little hills and one long gradual incline. I approached the 5k with the mindset of keeping good form and pushing it all the way to the end, especially because it is much shorter than my usually race. Long behold- I surprised the hell out of myself and finish 10^th overall and 5^th in my age group.

After a great 5k and a PR I was a little hesitant on how well I would do at my 10k. I knew that I had consumed a few too many adult beverages the night before while in good company and that the weather was going to be a bit humid at the start of this race. I drove to Sigourney in the a.m. and though that I was just gonna log 6+ miles, but yet again I surprised the hell out of myself. It was a looped course & it started with the 5k and 10k runners at the same time, no big deal you think, until you are about to run another 5k PR because your following the leaders & you still have another 5k to go! Needless to say, when the 5k runners stopped and the rest continued I found myself among one other runner! As I cut tight to curbs and around cars; we were rapidly approaching another racer. Not knowing who the leader was I continued to push hard. The weekend festivities began to hit me with 1.5 miles to go and I knew that the rest of the race was up to my head because the tank was empty and I was on fumes. I was able to pull off 4^th place overall and 2^nd in my age group. Although my competition throughout the weekend was not as tough as it could have been I was able to hang on to the lead groups in both races and let them help pull me to the finish line. I am loving running faster and will carry this speed-work to the next level. I am shooting for a sub-7hr 50 miler in October! (An intense goal I know, but why not go for it!)

"Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're probably right."
-Henry Ford