Salem Spring Sprint Triathlon Race Report

Any day on the block is a good day :)

My second tri of the year was Saturday.  This is my second time back at Salem Spring, I did it last year just two weeks after IMTX.  I knew that I had done it last year on a body that was still recovering from Ironman, so I went into it tired, mentally exhausted and expecting nothing from it at the time.  I somehow managed to land on the podium in that state.  Fast forward to this year!

I had talked with Ben just two nights before the race, and he really encouraged me to push this as hard as I could.  I know I am in so much better shape and have made progress across all three disciplines and this was attempt #2 to qualify for Nationals.

I wrote down last year's times and stared at them all week on my fridge knowing I could probably beat everyone of them, except maybe those transition times, those were pretty dang good!

PRE-RACE:

Just like last year, we had a million things going on this day, and Ken wasn't able to come with me.  He took Janae and Joshua came down with me.  I thoroughly enjoy having Joshua along.  He is a kick in the pants, a total blast to hang with.  Plus, he has become quite the efficient race sherpa!  He carries stuff, remembers things I might otherwise forget, and takes pictures!  Bonus!  We got up super early and made the hour and half drive down since I wanted to be there right when transition opened, and I still hadn't picked up my packet either.  Thank heaven for preferred racking for SLTC members, I was able to get a good spot to rack Belle and set everything up.  

SWIM:

This is a small race so there were only four swim waves.  Pro/Elite, Men 0-40, Men 41-100, and Women.  Women were the last wave to go.  It was pretty chilly and overcast out so I was in my wetsuit early for warmth, and I couldn't wait to get in the water since I knew it was probably warmer than air temp.  When the gun went off for our wave to go, I immediately started off way too fast and felt it.  My heart rate was crazy high, I was having hard time breathing, and people were  hitting, kicking, and all over each other. I just tried to reign it in some, but I almost panicked it was so crazy.  For a split second I actually considered rolling onto my back for a minute to chill.  What the hell?  That is SO not like me!  I was relieved to hit the first buoy and it seemed to immediately thin out and I was up with all the men from the previous waves.  It seemed like it calmed down and suddenly I was just fine.  I felt like I was going fast, but not panicked and I was where I wanted to be.  I got into my rhythm of counting strokes and sighting and stayed right in the buoy line.  This was good since I got off course last year.  This swim went extremely fast, and it seemed like I was at the swim exit very quickly.  I immediately started peeling off my wetsuit and a volunteer offered to strip it.  I was excited for this, but it was like she was scared of the wetsuit itself as she barely tugged it.  I told her JUST YANK IT and she did and it was off.  However, I lost time here for sure trying to get the dumb thing off.  FINAL SWIM TIME :15:00.  Beat last year's time by one second.  However, this wasn't just the swim, this was the wetsuit struggle, the run across the grass and the parking lot to the timing mat that starts the T1 time. I would be really curious as to the actual swim time, but guess who forgot to start her Garmin?

T1:

I really wanted fast transition times, so tossed my swim crap down, and went to get in my bike shoes, helmet, and sun glasses.  In and out.  One of these days I will be cool enough to try the whole flying mount thing, but not yet.  FINAL T1 time was 1:11, a twelve second improvement from last year!

BIKE:

Man, did I want a good bike time.  Ben had told me to push it as hard as I thought I could, and this would be an experiment to see how hard I could push it without it affecting my run.  Challenge accepted!  This course starts out fast as you round the bottom of the pond, take one quick turn, then it goes up THE HILL.  Anyone that has done this course knows which hill I am talking about.  It is not very long but it is very steep.  If you don't know it's coming and don't gear accordingly, it catches you off guard and many people end up walking it.  Today was no exception.  Both loops of the course I saw people walking it.  Not me though!  Belle seemed to struggle with the gearing, and she kept slipping and clicking.  I just prayed we would make it to the top.  We did, but that hill takes a lot out of you!  It took me a bit to get my breath back and get my HR manageable again.  Luckily it is followed by a slight downhill and I could setting into aero and regroup for a bit.  I started to think I was taking it too easy and immediately got my head back in the game and started to push harder. The weather started to get worse during the bike, it became cloudier and it started to lightly drizzle.  There was a few times I wished my sunglasses had windshield wipers. Then there is a few gradual hills and false flats until the turn around back to the pond where it is a downhill and you can fly.  It was awesome!  I so wish I could have seen my speed at these different times, but noooooooo! Stupid, stupid, stupid for not starting the Garmin.  I passed many people on the bike, mainly men, but a few women as well.  It was cool!  I felt very strong 98% of the bike, with the exception of right after the hill. Final bike time was 41:59, a 36 second improvement from last year.  I'll take it, though I had hoped for more of one.

T2:

I ran in, racked my bike, and tossed my shoes, slipped into my running shoes (I don't use socks for short course) and grabbed my race belt and visor to put on on my way out of transition.  In and out once again and I tied for last year's time with a :57 T2 time.  Sweet! I love it when I am under a minute!

RUN:

The first part of this run sucked,  I honestly felt like I had giraffe legs and wondered when my legs would show up.  I just kept pushing knowing I didn't want to lose any time and they would show up eventually.  The first mile was really a struggle. I just couldn't find a rhythm and it was frustrating. I felt like I was going so slow, but I have learned that when I feel this way, I am usually going faster than I think, so JUST KEEP PUSHING.  There are two hills on this run and they suck, plain and simple.  However, going up the first hill, I realized I hadn't been passed by anyone in my division.  That thought really encouraged me as I realized I could very well be in the lead for my division for the time being.  But wouldn't you know it...I got to the bottom of the second hill and some gal comes and blows me and the hill out of the water.  And, she was in my division. (How many races has this been the case?  That I get passed in the last portion of the run? So many I've lost count) Well, there goes first place.  I really tried to catch her, but I just didn't have it in me.  I was still pushing hard enough I had to suppress my gag reflex, but she was crazy fast.  I was glad to hit the down hill, and just push hard to the finish.  Final run time was 28:50, an average pace of 9:19, and with the hilly course, I am pretty happy with that.  It is also an improvement of almost 2 minutes from the previous year :)

POST RACE:

I quickly realized I was in second place.  I was thrilled with this!  Unfortunately, with only 10 people in my division, this wasn't good enough for a qualification.  I would have had to be in first for that, and I missed first place by 42 seconds.  Ugggghhhhhh!  Final time for this race was 1:27:58.  I'll take it, though it was frustrating to be so close! However, I am thrilled to have beat or tied every single time from last year, so that shows definite improvement.

I stayed for the awards and then Joshua and I quickly left since we were freezing.  I seriously think Utah races are cursed this year.  Every race I've done or been part of the weather has sucked.  Hopefully this trend changes quick! I have also come to the conclusion that I do better in heat.  Or at least I prefer it to the cold.  

I only have two weeks until Daybreak. I am excited to return to that race, it was my first open water triathlon 4 years ago and I loved it at the time. It is also a flat run course, which will be a good thing, and though there is an uphill on the bike, you immediately go right back down it.  If the weather holds out, it could be a very good race for me :)

In the meantime, Happy Training and Racing!

One year post IMTX...and I'm just getting started!

A year ago this very moment I was probably a few miles into the marathon at IMTX.  I was hot, tired, sweaty, and oh so glad to be off the blasted bike!  Though the marathon was hard, in many ways it was my favorite part of the day.  I loved the run course for its crowd support and the people I met during that Death March, and I loved digging deeper than I ever had before to meet a goal I had been working so hard on for a very long time.

Fast forward 365 day until today.  I cannot believe I did that!  I also can't believe its been a year!CRAZY!  I would be lying if I said I didn't have some major race envy this past weekend as IMTX 2016 unfolded in what will no doubt go down as one of the most epic (and maybe cursed) races ever.  I often wondered before IMTX what I would do next.  I always have gone for the next big thing, and after IM, what is after that?

The first few months after IMTX I was admittedly burned out, but not for the obvious reasons.  I was pretty frustrated with my performance in all three disciplines and very much felt stuck.  I felt a "what's next?" feeling in that not only had I now accomplished this major goal, but I also didn't know how to improve on what were my very slow paces.  If you look at my TP and my training June-November, it is pretty pathetic, almost non-existent.  I guess I figured why bother at something I didn't know how to fix? I didn't want to give up triathlon or running, but I really wasn't sure what would happen next or what my next step was.  A few really good things came along to help me out of this slump.

One, it was my first year as head swim coach at LHS.  That gave me a really good diversion from triathlon and a way to be involved in the sport but in a completely different way. I fell in love with the kids I was working with, had a steep learning curve to get over, and something that took a great deal of time.  It really was a god-send.

The second thing is I found a coach, Ben Cagle. I had always been self coached, and it did work okay for the first few years in the sport.  However, this couldn't have been more perfect timing.  I decided that going back to square one and focusing on short distances would be a good place to start, sort of building from the ground up.  Ben has been awesome at this.  He completely changed how I looked at training (no more by miles, but by time, now with intervals, goals for each session, etc).  He also took away what I now realize was what many call "paralysis by analysis".  So much of my getting stuck on  a training plan would come from always second guessing what I was doing, adjusting things, or missing things, or not knowing how to make it up, or how to adjust it to my schedule, etc.  Now I don't do any of that, that's what Ben is for!  I can't reiterate or stress enough how nice it is not to the planning and analyzing.  I just do whatever he tells me to do in TP.  Plain and simple.  It has also given me great accountability, and knowing someone else is looking at my training and also that it has been planned around a schedule I've dictated, sort of kills any excuses you might have :)  I have made gains across all 3 sports, and feel I have a refocused goal and hope that maybe I don't suck as bad as I was thinking! So if you are in a rut, get a coach! I  can't recommend that enough!  (Just make sure its the right one, there are plenty of yahoos out there.  Thank heavens Ben isn't one of them.  He's pretty badass)

I know so many people give up triathlon after an Ironman, because they are burned out and loose focus.  I really feel that was just the beginning for me.  I realized exactly how much I don't know about this sport after doing IMTX and there is so much more I want to do!  I need Ken (the husband) and Ben (my coach) to reign me in at times and be a voice of reason when I get ahead of myself, which is fairly regularly.  I also have great role models in the sport that are years ahead of me that show me that the best is yet to come!

Yes, there are definitely more Ironmans in my future, but I am very happy with where I am at this point.  Short course has been such a good focus for me this year.  I love the training, I love being able to push myself in a new way, and it is nice to have races that rarely take over 2 hours :)  I have several races just in the next 6-8 weeks and with sprints you can race that often!  It's awesome and so much fun! Plus, I need to be racing this often for I need as many chances as I can get myself to get to Nationals in August!

I hope to be in this sport a long time.  There is still so much I want to do.  I want to keep getting stronger and better.  Almost all of my PR's are over 2 years old. I want to make new ones.  I also have a Bucket List of races that will take me years to get through, so I've got a lot of work to do! I wanna be the 80 year old grandma still doing races, riding her bike, and adding to her race bling collection.  So, IMTX was just a spring board for me to all that I still want to accomplish.  Here's to another great year!  Onward and upward!

Lessons Learned from Kayak Support Volunteer - IMStG 70.3

With my focus being on short course this year, there is no Half Irons happening for me this year.  However, there was 150 fellow tri club members racing this weekend, and I knew it was going to be one giant party, and I didn't want to miss out.  I wanted to be involved somehow, so I figured it would be fun to volunteer and have always wanted to do kayak support for a race, so here was my chance! I went to the Ironman website, and signed up.  I was stoked!

I drove down on Friday, hit Ironman Village (this is where a miracle occurred.  I left the Merchandise Tent spending less than $100!), then headed out to Sand Hollow where most athletes were doing bike check in.  The wind was really blowing and there were white caps on the water.  Sand Hollow Reservoir has a history of bad weather conditions, in particular wind, and this was no exception.  It was cold as well, so I knew that if things didn't calm down, it would make for a very rough swim in the morning.  However, I don't love "rough conditions" for the bike or run, but in the water, I kind of relish the challenge and was somewhat jealous I wouldn't be racing in it :)

I headed over to the briefing from Ironman Officials and Washington County SAR officials for all swim support volunteers.  They went into detail about conditions to watch for with swimmers, what protocol was if we needed to have a swimmer assessed or pulled from the water, and what our assignments were going to be for the morning.  The Ironman official said that if conditions didn't improve by morning they would cancel the swim, only letting the pros swim since it was a championship event for them.  My friend Eric from SLTC was also volunteering and we stuck around for the barbecue dinner that was provided.  During dinner the wind and weather calmed down and the water was like glass.  Eric, who competed in the infamous 2012 Ironman there, said the conditions were almost identical to that year, where it was like the calm before the storm.  Then he was nice enough to offer to let me crash on his couch for the night since I had planned on camping out or sleeping in my Jeep. This proved much better than those options would have been.  Thank you Oscarsons!

The next morning I was awoken to the music LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE at 3:30am. All I could do was smile because Eric's wife, Mandy, was racing and it was race morning for her and this was her pump it up music.  We got up, ate, changed, and headed over to Sand Hollow where our boats were waiting for us.  I had set up my boat the night before with the essentials on it and added my own bag of snacks, water bottles, etc.  I had a head lamp and was glad that I did as we were on the water before the sun was up.  We actually had to paddle in almost a mile to get to where we would be staged for the race.  I got out on the beach to get one more bathroom break and ran up to use the porta potties and ran into none other than Meredith Kessler!  I was so excited to see her, I had missed the pro panel on Thursday and didn't think I would get a chance to see her at all.  Of course, being gracious as always, she let this major fan girl get a picture :)



Getting back out on the water was fun. It was gorgeous, though cool out.  It was nice to see the sunrise on the water.  I swear, when I retire, mark my words, it will be by the water and look something like this:



Then a guy on a boat came up and pointed at me and my friend Eric and appointed us to be the lead kayak (the one the pros sight off of) for the male and female pros respectively.  I was STOKED!  How much cooler was this morning going to get?  Eric has done this several times before and said that the goal was to stay one to one a half buoys ahead of the pros and you had to haul a$$ as they are fast and you have to stay out ahead of them. I could do that!

The gun went off and I did just as I was told. I couldn't believe how cool it was to watch the pros this close.  The swim is always my favorite part of any race, but also the hardest to spectate and hear it was I had a front row seat.  I had the slower male pros right in front of me and the lead pack of pro women right behind me.  It was very, very cool.  They operate on an entirely different level.  Now, with that being said, I was surprised to see how many of the slower male pros (I couldn't tell who they were due to the wetsuits and the swim caps) that really seemed to be struggling with the swim.  Hey, we all have off days, right?  Meredith Kessler was the lead swimmer and KILLING it!

By the time the pros finished, I worked my way back to the start where they had already started the age group waves.  My friend Mike had told me he was in the light blue cap wave and I was there right as it started.  I stayed close to his wave and him most of the time due to the fact Mike struggles in open water with rough conditions.  Apparently, he is not the only one!

I was then amazed by how many people do not prepare for the swim portion of triathlon.  By this time, it had clouded up again, cooled down, and the wind and rain started.  The water was choppy and far from ideal conditions.  I had dozens of people grab my kayak over the next few hours grab and hold on to my kayak.  This is completely fine and allowed as long as the kayak makes no forward motion.  I heard time and time again from numerous swimmers the following statements that left me completely dumbfounded:

• This is my first time in a wetsuit (or this wetsuit)
• This is my first open water swim
• I am so much faster in a pool, I don't know what my problem is today
• I haven't swam in open water in years.

Are you friggin kidding me?  Why on earth would you do this to yourself?  As the conditions only worsened through out the morning, this lead to some scary incidents on the water watching people that were struggling and adding to it rough conditions.  They then said, "I just try to survive the swim to get to the bike and/or run".  Um, survive is the key word here!

So here's my rant.  First off, I firmly believe that this sport has a spot for everyone.  However, with that being said, if one is not prepared to swim in open water, one should not do so.  That is why there are sprint triathlons and many with pool swims.  A Half Iron distance tri held in a lake with a history of bad swim conditions is NOT the place to start.  I had many people tell me "Well, everyone has to start somewhere."  Yes, they do, but this is not the place.  Or I also heard, "They are chasing a dream."  True, but again, most dreams have to built upon.  This should not be the first step to your dream.  Dreams take time and work.  THIS was not the place to start.

To further clarify, I am not talking about slow swimmers.  I have no problem with them. I have an issue with those that can barely swim.  There were many slow swimmers who were still getting the job done needing no assistance from us volunteers.  I am talking about the ones that in a pool would put the lifeguards on edge (you know, like myself when I attempt butterfly) and put us volunteers on edge for 1.2 miles.

So, moral of the story (aka, my rant) is be prepared.  Start somewhere, hire a coach, go to Masters swimming, take lessons, practice in open water prior to race day with a wetsuit, and be safe out there! This all seems like no brainer information, but if you saw what I saw on Saturday, you would see that apparently it is not.

I had a great day volunteering/spectating.  After helping the final swimmer out of the water, I went to get out of my boat and could barely stand I was shivering so badly.  I was immediately escorted into the med tent to be treated since (according to them anyway) I was hypothermic.  They wrapped me in tin foil blankets and forced chicken broth down me.  I won't lie, that stuff was amazing at that point. It took awhile to stop shivering, but I eventually warmed up enough they let me leave.  I was anxious to go and change into dry clothes and head over to the run course to cheer on my tri club mates.

I later found out after the race that there was a 27% DNF rate for the day.  No doubt, it was tough out there.  I give mad props to all those that raced under such tough conditions.  I personally had 5 friends not finish on Saturday.  The conditions on the bike were terrible, making it to where people were so cold they couldn't shift or brake.  With so many hills on this course, that would be unreal!

I firmly believe every triathlete should volunteer for a race.  If you choose to do kayak support, even better!  It is a great opportunity.  Here are some suggestions I wish I woud have known prior:

1. Dress in layers.  It might be cooler in the morning than later in the day, so be prepared to add or take away layers as the conditions arise.
2. Wear clothing that can get wet, because you will get wet.
3. Wear gloves of some kind, exercise gloves like those for weight lifting or cycling would be great.  I got a blister on the inside of my thumb from paddling.
4. Take snacks and enough fluids for a long morning on the water. I  was out there for 4.5 hours.  
5. Having a head lamp was invaluable for the morning.  We started paddling at 5:15am, before the sun was up.  It was great to have the lamp.  Have a whistle ready as well, though Ironman provided them for us.

So what's next?  Ironically, I am volunteering at another triathlon this weekend (a sprint) that is held right in my neck of the woods.  Then I have Salem Spring Sprint tri (attempt #2 to qualify for Nationals) in two weeks.  Happy training, racing, and volunteering all!

Another year older and wiser (?) too....

I turned 37 yesterday.  I don't know why, but this is a hard pill to swallow.  I have never really had a problem with birthdays, but the older I get, and the higher the number gets, its getting kind of weird!  I loved birthdays as a kid. I mean, who doesn't?  Then when I was in my 20's, I liked them and liked the number getting higher because I seemed to think it gave me more credibility.  I felt like people don't really take you seriously in your 20's, so hitting 30 was cool too.  Then when I hit 35, it seemed weird.  I was now "mid 30's".  For some reason 36 didn't bother me, but 37 is just seems, well, OLD!

As I have been coming to grips with the fact that I am another year older, I have thought about a lot of things both triathlon and life related (after all, this is a triathlon/racing blog).  In my last race, and in others lately, I have found that the older I get, the more competitive women get.  There are some seriously fast women out there! Some crazy talent!  While this could be discouraging, I am inspired when I am passed in a race by someone that has a 40 something, or 50 something age on their calf muscle.  It gives me hope that as I get older I can get better too!  I love that these women (and men) are not letting age define them and are continuing to go out there and kick butt and be the best they can be, and be pretty good at it too!

I have a friend who is in her 60's.  In fact, she turned 64 yesterday.  She is still actively training and racing Ironman races! Sweet!!  I have another friend who started off as a back of the pack runner, and now is a Kona qualifier at 47.  There is hope yet!  If I keep going like they are, I have another 20-30 years in the sport I have grown to love!

Triathlon seems to be the only sport that the older people get, the better they get.  Most pro-triathletes are in their 30s.  Compare that age to the average age of other professional athletes, and I would guess it is older.  I love how no matter how old or competitive people get, this is a very welcoming and supportive community.  That never ceases to amaze me as I go to races or tri club functions.  What a great thing to be involved in!

So, as I started yesterday as I have started every birthday of mine for the past 8 years...with a run.  Ben had a speed work run on tap for me, and I couldn't wait to tackle it.  I got up at 4:15, dredged outside with my headlamp and reflective vest, and enjoyed starting my day hitting intervals that had me running at a 7:30-7:45 pace.  If you had shown me that pace, or those workouts even a year ago, I would have laughed at you.  I wasn't quite sure how it would go, but I really wanted to try it.  And you know what?  I hit every single one of them.  :)

Here's to another year of training, racing, and improving.

Vanilla ICEbreaker Race Report 2016

This was my first triathlon of the season and my 5th year back at Icebreaker.  I have said it before, but this is the perfect way to start off race season.  It's early season when most people are getting antsy to race.  It is also done by Racetri, in my opinion, the best race company in Utah.  Aaron doesn't leave any stone unturned and always puts on a well organized, super fun, and great event. It has grown quite a bit in the 5 years that I have been doing it!

I have been training hard for this race!  Which is kind of weird in that I have always gone into a sprint thinking I can complete it, while always training for longer distances.  Ben and I have been working on getting faster and competitive at the shorter distances this year, so I felt really ready for it.  I knew it was going to be a different type of race when I pulled onto the street the pool is on early this morning and was actually nervous!  I haven't been nervous for a sprint since I did my first one 5 years ago!!

The weather had been a concern all week.  It was showing it was supposed to actually snow the night before this race and have a high for the day of 50.  But that "high" in temps wouldn't come until long after the race was completed.  Looking at the hourly forecast, it was going to be 38 degrees when we left the pool and got onto the bike.  That forecast was dead on.  Yikes!

I thought a lot about what to wear on the bike, if anything as far as extra layers were concerned.  I finally decided to suck it up and just wear my tri kit.  This is my first of 4 attempts to qualify for Nationals, so I knew that in my super competitive age group, I needed every second I could get, so I would just go for it.

SWIM:

I had a chance to get in and warm up before the race start.  I swam 200-250 with short bursts of speed in there as Ben had told me in my pre-race instructions.  I actually liked being in the water because it was so much warmer than standing on the side of the pool, even though it is warm in there.  I felt good, and was just ready to do this!  We lined up in our self seeded fashion. In the past, based on projected finish time, you get a 0-5 on your hand at body marking, with the 0 being the fastest.  I have always gone with a 1 and it has always been accurate.  However, they only asked about 1/3 of the people swimming their times, so people were everywhere.  While in line with my friend Mary, we noticed the people starting ahead of us were NOT seeded correctly.  Jerks!  That really irritates me, because it just causes congestion and mess for the rest of us.

It was finally my turn to go and when they said GO, I went!  I felt good, focused on going sustainable hard, and the first 100 was great.  Then we ran into issues with those that didn't seed correctly.  It got crazy and I was getting past, while getting backed up behind others, and it was more of an aggressive open water scenario, right in the middle of the pool.  That tends to tick me off so I just pushed my way past those that were clogging it and got through the next 200.  It seemed to go quicker than past years, and it did! Final swim time was 6:16...a 15 second PR for this swim! Keep in mind this "swim" time also includes a run from the pool, out of the building, across a parking lot, and into the softball field where transition is.  A PR nonetheless!

T1:

I had decided against the extra layers to save time.  I tossed my goggles and swim cap down, grabbed my helmet, glasses, bike shoes and was off.  It felt slow, but was still under a minute.  My fastest time for T1 in this race is :48. but today was :57

BIKE:

I so wanted a strong bike split!  I got on, and was off down the initial quick downhill, and then to the gradual uphill.  I noticed immediately that my chain was slipping between gears.  What the?!?  I found if I shifted up it stopped, but in a couple of lower gears is would switch between a couple nonstop.  Ghost shifting?  Either way, its going to a mechanic to figure that one out.

Anyhow, I just tried to push where I could.  I noticed I forgot to hit the right button on my Garmin leavin T1, and it paused it, so I lost about 5 minutes as far as it was concerned.  I fixed this while riding though.  I was glad to get to the top of the hill where it levels off and you can actually settle into aero for a bit.  I felt really good.  My legs felt strong, and even though it was cold, it wasn't bad.  I past a few people on this section of the course.  I was excited to get to Alpine Highway where you can just FLY!  I really tried to punch it at this part of the course and felt I was doing well and it did feel like flying!  I love moments on the bike like that!

I started the second bike loop and it was much like the first.  By now the slower swimmers were starting their first loop, so there was more congestion on the course.  It wasn't really a problem, but I sure wish more people learned what ON YOUR LEFT means!  I got to the top again and pushed hard the second half of the loop and enjoyed the downhill.  I told myself to NOT fall off my bike like last year when coming into the bike dismount area, and am pleased to report that I did not :)

I grabbed my bike and ran for transition. Total bike split for this year was 41:07.  Not happy with this, because I don't feel like it reflected how I felt I did.  I felt like I was faster, and felt stronger than past years, but apparently there is some work to do.

T2:

This is where I first noticed how cold I really was.  My hands were so numb I really struggled with my shoes and in particular getting my bike helmet undone! I actually had to have a volunteer help me get it up unclipped!  I was ready to do my run with it if she hadn't have helped me!  I also noticed I had no feeling in my toes.  This felt like a slow transition time and it was, at 1:35

RUN:

I noticed as I struggled with my shoes that my dear friend Meagen was leaving T2 at the same time. I  wanted to keep up with her.  I threw on my hat and ran off after her and was able to be with her as we went up the first part of the hill.  I kept doing what Ben said to do, try to maintain the effort from the 5k a few weeks ago, and feel like I was being pushed up the hill, vs pulled.  That hill is awful. Like really awful.  But, I just powered up and noticed a woman in my age group pass me.  Dang it!

I was thrilled to make it to the top of that hill and I just tried to relax a little from the hill effort, but still go hard.  I was getting passed, but all by men, so I didn't care.  There were many from my team that were passing me and they would yell "Go get em Kate!" as they did.  I love that on the course!

We got to the downhill on the Alpine Highway and I was feeling good, like really good.  I just gunned it.  I passed several people on this portion, which is such a boost because this is where I am usually the one to get passed!  As I rounded back into the rec center about a .25 mile from the finish line, I heard my friend Bryan behind me.  He said to me, "Here we go Kate.  You and I are going to finish this together and go get that BAM guy up there.  Ready?  Let's go!"  And we were off like a bat out of hell, but he is WAY faster than I am, so I couldn't keep pace with him, though it was an awesome push there at the end.  When I got onto the field and saw the finish, I literally had to suppress the urge to puke, but pushed hard anyhow.  It was awful and awesome at the same time :)

Final run time was 27:18, a PR for this run course for me!  SWEET!!!  I can't tell you how stoked I am about this run!  Running has been my nemesis, and to finally have a solid run like this, I was thrilled!  The hard work, drills, intervals, hill work, etc, is paying off!

Final time for this race was 1:17:16.  Not a PR, mainly because I lost time on the bike and T2. However, it wasn't far from a PR, only :22 seconds.

POST RACE:

This is where it's party time!  I met up with Meagan, and we took our obligatory yearly Icebreaker picture.  Love this girl!  She's going to rock her first Ironman this summer!

 
And below is what makes getting out of bed and driving an hour and fifteen minutes and then racing in 38 degree weather worth it.  Seriously, where else are you going to get a Vanilla Ice medal?  I love the Swim, Bike, Collaborate and Listen on it :)

Though I am disappointed that I didn't qualify for Nationals at this race (this is the one I qualified at 2 years ago), I am still thrilled with how I did, even with my disappointment in my bike.  I have seen so much progress already in a short time frame, I am excited to see what the rest of the season holds.  I loved racing today.  I loved seeing my tri friends.  I loved really pushing it and crossing yet another finish line.  I am reminded of how awesome, yet painful, short course can be.

What's next?  I have 8 weeks until Salem Spring on May 21.

So, with that, happy training and RACING all!

THIS SUCKS!

I'm semi injured.  I wouldn't say full on injured, but I have strained or pulled a groin muscle.  It's my upper inner thigh just below my quad.  It started bugging me a little about 2 weeks ago, and then after an interval run last week, it really started to bug.  It doesn't hurt at all while swimming or biking, but any kind of impact (even walking around) hurts.  Its a dull achy kind of thing.  And Ben says no running if there is any kind of pain.  This.  Sucks.

I should have known something was coming when just a week and a half ago I was thinking how good things were going.  I have seen progress in the pool, progress on the run, and some progress (maybe a little) on the bike.  Then this happens.  Well crap.  I have been doing everything I am supposed to, but it sucks having to sit out the runs, probably because for the first time in my life, I am enjoying those workouts the most!  It doesn't help that the weather has been gorgeous making the runs even more enjoyable.  But, those are sidelined for the time being.  And it sucks!  And did I mention my first race is 2.5 weeks away?!?!

What else is new on the training front?  Not much.  I am loving the swims, they are hard but doable.  I love the confidence that has come with hitting times that when I initially look at the workout make me think Ben is smoking crack.  I have loved seeing my average per 100y time drop by 18 seconds in the past 3 months.  That is sweet!

I got my bike off the trainer for the first time since September.  It was just okay.  The weather was cloudy and chilly, but I decided to go anyway, since the forecast predicted it would just get worse as the day went on. It was windy as well.  And wouldn't you know it, 45 minutes after I got home the weather was gorgeous and sunny again.  Screw you, Mother Nature!

I have signed up for several races, at least through the first part of July.  I am doing the Icebreaker Tri on March 26 (year 5 at this one), The Salem Spring Tri (May 21, year 2 for me at this one), Daybreak Tri (June 4, 2nd time back) and Echo Tri (July 9, first time doing this one).  They will all be sprint distances and all attempts of reaching my goal of qualifying for Nationals.  What I do after these will greatly depend on if I do go to Nationals or not which is August 13.  We shall see!  I have even played around the idea of a fall marathon, but most likely it will just be a half marathon.  I really want to try to go sub 2:00 on a half.  When Ben told me a full would require 3 months of running 40-60 miles a week (to be competitive or PR anyhow), I pretty much decided a half will probably be more doable for now.  It might be pathetic, but I even have tentative race goals for 2017 and 2018!  I swear this is an illness!

In non tri related news, I have a couple of trips coming up.  I will be gone for a 3 day swim coach's conference with Haley, my assistant coach.  I wish it were somewhere cool, but it's just 3 hours north in the booming metropolis of Idaho Falls.  Then my mom and I are going to Vegas for a girls weekend Memorial Day.

Nothing else to report!  Happy Training and racing all!

SLS3 Dual Pocket Run Belt Review

The kind people at SLS3 reached out through email and asked if they sent me their new run belt if I would like to try it out for a  while and write a review,  I have now been using this belt almost exclusively on all my runs for the past 2 months.

I have always struggled with a way to carry my crap while I run.  This usually includes my phone and sometimes my keys, and when I am doing longer runs, GU and water bottles.  I currently have 4 belts prior to receiving this one that carry anywhere from 0-4 bottles,  and I use for different purposes.  Since most of my training these days is short distance and I don't need the bottles, I liked the idea of something simply that could just carry a few things...this belt fits that bill!



When I first got it my first impression was that is seemed simple yet well made.  This impression held true.  The pockets however seemed too small to hold my Iphone 6 with its bulky Otterbox case.  I was wrong.  The pocket easily expands to hold it and I am guessing could hold up to a 6PLus as well.  Very cool!  The inner part of the pocket is water proof, so if you get stuck in rain or are a profuse sweater, your stuff will be protected!  And there are two pockets, so you can keep things separate as well.  The pockets are very cool because they can expand to hold what you want them to, but aren't any bigger than you need them, as they sort of fold onto themselves.  You don't get a big empty compartment bouncing around if you don't need it.

I also liked that this is adjustable.  Regardless of how you want to wear it,
(waist or hips) you can adjust it to fit there.  I have had a harder time with other non adjustable belts (Flipbelt) that are not adjustable.

Price point on this is right on.  The belt sells for $12.90 on Amazon.  With running and triathlon being such an expensive sport, this was very cool to see, that it is very affordable.

Now for the cons, but for me it is a big one.  This belt did not stay in place while running.  It would stay for a very short while then ride up and be bouncing around my mid-section.  Now, in all fairness, I have yet to find a belt that doesn't slip up at all, but this one did continually in my runs.  Some factors that I think contribute to this are how you have it adjusted and also the material of your running clothes.  On  my really slick spandex compression tights, it would ride up constantly.  On the more nylon like, not so slick material, it wouldn't ride up as easily.  I also would play around with how tight it was adjusted, only to find the belt would loosen itself back to where it would ride up again.;(



PROS:
Well made
Waterproof pockets that hold quite a bit
Adjustable
Awesome price
Cool color selection

CONS:
Does not stay in place while running, rides up
No reflective material on it, at least not on the all black one I received.

Overall, this is a good belt, and I will keep experimenting with it to see if I can make it stay in place because it has so much potential!

This belt was provided for me for the purpose of this review, but the opinions are all my own.