Swim, Bike, Run . . . Wine!

Kate's Ironman - next sunday

2010-11-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends - Thanks for all of your support and encouragment as I train for Ironman Arizona. The Ironman is next Sunday in beautiful Tempe. It is a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run. An Ironman race is one of the items on my life list/bucket list. I hope to knock it off the list this weekend but if not, I will try again next year. Who would have ever thought I'd make it this far? Plus, I've dropped 20 pounds and feel great!

Here is the deal. The race has several cut off times along the way. (See list of cut off times below) If I don't meet one of the cut offs the race officials make you stop. The race starts at 7:00a.m. with the swim portion. The first cut off time is 9:20. My swim times have been very close to that cut off time. I have no wiggle room on this time. No room for error. If I am NOT out of the water in 2:20 minutes I cannot continue. If I DO get out of the water by 2:20 then I have a shot at making it to the end. I will have 17 hours to complete the race and must cross the finish line by midnight. The swim is my weakest sport of the three.

If you want to track my progress you can go to www.ironman.com . You can look me up by my bib number (2436) or name. For those of you in Phoenix, please do not come down to the race. Traffic will be nuts. The website is the best way to see how I'm doing. If you do come down, I'll be wearing an ASU bike jersey and ASU running gear.

No matter what happens I'm glad I took this challenge. I will probably sign up for next years race. Wish me luck!! I'll need it!! Kate

Swim Cut Off (9:20 am - 2.4 miles/4224 yards/3862.425meters)
2 hours 20 mins = 2.4 miles = 3:37 mins per 100 meters

Bike Cut Off (3:00pm - 76 miles/ 4:15pm - 93 miles/ 5:30pm - 112 miles)
8 hours 10 mins = 112 miles = 13.71 miles per hour

Run Cut Off (10:15pm - 17.4 miles/ 12:00 am - 26.2 miles)
6 hours 30 mins = 26.2 miles = 14.53 mins per mile

One Week OUT!

2010-11-13T21:24:00.000-08:00

Well, I have my race outfit ready to go. I decided to wear ASU gear for IMAZ. I had my tribe's bike jersey but it got ruined during my bike accident. Oh well. My 7 year old said she likes the ASU gear better anyway. Who can argue with a 7 year old?

I am also starting to organize my gear a bit into the correct piles. It is interesting to think of all the things I will need along the way. I'm excited and terrified at the same time.

I told my husband tonight that I would have to sign up again if I do not make the cut off. He said "I know." Then he said, "I also know you will have to sign up again if you DO make the cut off to prove you can do it better!" Ha! He knows me so well. Earlier today I had already looked up when athletes can register before the race. I have to do it! I know I can train better. Don't get me wrong. I know I have come a LONG way this year. BUT I know I can do so much better.

This will be a heck of a week. I think I'm going to sign up for Irongirl tomorrow and get another long run in. It is easier to run if I have a race!

4 weeks to go - 3 weeks of training

2010-10-24T19:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it is crunch time! I can't believe it is here already. Wild. I have a lot of work to do before the big race. Today I road 78 miles followed by about a 30 minute run. I need to get a schedule together for the last few weeks. This is what it looks like so far. I think I need to consult some of the other races for suggestions.

10/30 - 112m bike
10/31 - ?

11/6 - 4000m swim & bike
11/7 - half marathon

11/13 - ?
11/14 - ?

52 days . . . What am I thinking?

2010-09-30T00:03:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this race is coming right up. I haven't blogged for a while b/c I have been in panic mode. My training has been lacking, my weight is not coming off, and my life is interferring with Triathlon.

I am going for it though. I might be slow. I might not make the cut off times. I might not finish. BUT . . . I will try.

My latest issue is that I hurt my back on Friday so I missed a weekend of training. How did I hurt my back? Running? No. Swimming? No. Biking? No. Moving a table at work. LAME!!

Wish me LUCK!!

Old photo from our flagstaff ride.

BeeLine/Usery Loop - 50 mile Ride

2010-08-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

Bush Highway/Beeline Loop = 50 miles

Today me and the boys (Joe, Geoff, and Ron) road a 50 mile loop. It started out rough because it was so early. Waking up at 4:30 a.m. to excercise is rough. The ride was nice. The first 20 miles was pretty but there was more climbing then I thought there would be. I don't think I drank or ate enough b/c by the end of the ride I totally BONKED. I was exhausted. I don't think it helped that it was 97 degrees outside. I've got a long way to go before this darn Ironman.

100 days until the Ironman!

2010-08-13T00:19:00.000-07:00

Here we go! 100 days until the Ironman Arizona. What have I gotten myself into? I'm so crazy.

I've been trying to follow my training plan on beginnertriathlete.com but I keep falling short on mileage. I'm going to keep working on it but it is tough to stay up on everything when you have a job, children and responsibilities. UGH!

We will see how it goes. It will be a wild ride!

62 Miles!

2010-06-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

Today we had a great ride out in Fountain Hills. It was climbing and rollers all the way. Jake, Geoff, Kate, Ron and Joe took off hard! We met Joe on a ride last week and he joined us this week. Luckily he was doing heart rate monitoring today. He had to be in low zones for his work out. Joe's low heart rate is my high! Good match. Joe is training for Half Ironman Singapore in March 2011. We will be seeing a lot of Joe over the next several months!

I was really excited to have Jake take this ride. He loves rollers and this ride was full of them. Unfortunately, Jake's knee was still having problems. About 8 miles into the ride I see Jake in the distance. It isn't like him to be slow. It REALLY isn't like him to get passed by me! His knee was acting up again from his bike fit. Poor guy. I know he was really looking forward to this ride.

At the turnaround for the first 20 miles we regrouped and started back. I was really looking forward to it. It was down hill 10 miles back to Fountain Hills. We make the turn and I start following Geoff. I was going about 28 miles per hour when I feel my tire going flat! UGH! Ron comes to my rescue and fixes it up. Within 5 miles, Jake's tire blows. UGH!

When we get back into town Jake takes off to rest his knee and the rest of us take off for the next 40.

I felt so much better this ride of Fountain Hills than last time. I really worked on my hydration this time. Last time I didn't dirink much water. This time I drained a whole water bottle within the first 20 miles. Much better. Nutrition is key for these long rides!

Today was the first day we went up the famous 9 mile hill! They just put in bike lines! We went up 5 of the 9 miles so we could hit 60. 10 mph up and about 23 mph going down. I managed to get some shots going down b/c the bike lane was so smoothe. Loved it!

I am really enjoying this break in training but my Ironman plan will start in a couple of weeks. I have been totally neglecting my swimming and running. I've been trying to lose weight too but no luck. I've got to get on the ball!

Great day overall! I feel very fortunate to be out in a beautiful place with my loving husband beside me! Awesome!

Biking

2010-06-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

I've been biking more than anything lately. I really enjoy it and I'm trying to have fun with all of this. Wednesday, Ron and I woke up at 4:15a.m. to go ride up South Mountain. Crazy i know but biking is so awesome it is worth it.

This weekend we are going to bike around South Mountain. That should be pretty cool. We have never gone that way and we've been wanting to. I'm hpping to see some of the wild horses out at Gila River. It is pretty early and quiet so we might have a shot.

Hopefully I can get a few pictures.

Rough Ride . . .

2010-06-07T23:06:00.000-07:00

Ron, Geoff, and I went on the Fountain Hills ride yesterday. The Rosier were sporting the Big R jerseys. The best parts of the ride were the jerseys and the views. It was BRUTAL! I forgot how hilly it was. I also forgot to drink enough water. Not my best day. We completed 52 miles. It was ugly but I did it.

I decided I need to go on more mid week rides. Yes, time to start increasing my mileage. I also think we should also start a little earlier. We were riding at 6:00 a.m. but it got hot pretty quickly. I think we need to start at 5 or 5:30 if we are going to increase the mileage. It is getting hot out.

I hit a spin class today. I hope every little bit helps.

The Endless Bonk! by Eric 6/1/2010 (Recapping last weekend's ride)

2010-06-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

It has been a very long time since I've written anything here (not that anyone reads this). Life has gotten busy. Bottom line: I haven't been riding much.

I did ride with Team Bad-Ass last Saturday. It had been literally months since logging any serious mileage. I've ridden the stationary bike a little and rode a short Bike4Life event a friend from the City of Mesa organized. I also rode in the Ride of Silence which i co-organized (more to come on that later) Other than that, nothing.

The goal for last Saturday's ride was 50 miles with a decent amount of climbing (Usery Pass loop with a trip to Saguaro Lake) . I love the workout that the hills provide. It feels like you lungs are going to burst and your legs are on fire - awesome! Needless to say, I was pumped to be back with the group. The night before, I had all my gear in the car, the rack on the back, CamelBak full in the fridge. Ready.

The next morning, I'm up early (the ride leaves at 0600). Got some coffee & a banana and headed to the starting point. We roll out and I'm feeling great! Everyone is on road bikes, except me, on the MTB. My MTB has big tires. Probably triple the size of the road bikes'. I was too lazy to throw the slicks on and figured I'd be fine. I'm hanging with the group and we're cruising 17+mph. I even passed some of them on the down hill (hit 42.3mph)! At the bottom of the hill, it flattens out for a bit then we start a slight climb. No problem, right? WRONG! I absolutely died. I was spent. Only 5 miles in, and the tank was empty. No energy left. In cycling this is referred to as the "bonk". In running, it's "hitting the wall". I had another 45 miles to go with a big hill in the way. I'm screwed.

I managed to eat a PowerBar gel and get a little energy back. The road all the way out to Saguaro Lake was going to be a long one. The team flew by me. I'm one of the strong riders in this group; at least i used to be. They kept pulling away and pulling away putting more and more open road between us. At this point I realized that I put the "Ass" in "Team Bad-Ass". Everyone was kind enough to wait for me at the four corners stop sign (probably had phone calls to make, emails to return...). I pulled up, thanked them for waiting and told them they didn't have to.

We take off again , and I'm behind Kid Rocket (see earlier posts), I'm going to try to hang with him. That lasted about as long as a pot of coffee at an AA meeting. Next thing I know, Kate, who touts herself as "marginal" and "the girl rider" blasts past me in the aero bars leaving me to my familiar position; back of the pack.

I got to the parking lot of the Salt River tubing area just in time to see the rest of the team climbing up to the lake entrance. I figured "aw hell no". I pulled into the lot, sat and had a Power Bar, and waved off about a billion gnats wanting to feed on the sweat that was pouring out from under my helmet. Feeling a little more human, I decided to head up to the lake entrance. No sooner did I start up the hill, than the team came flying down towards me with Kate (still in the aero bars) leading the way. I decide to turn around and try to catch them.

I was feeling better now. The road from the lot back to the four corners stop was rolling hills which I was able to handle well. At least I handled them better than the way out. I made it to the four corners ready to tackle Usery aka "King Kong" (not my name for the hill another groups'). As I started up the hill, I was feeling pretty good. The hill is only 3 or so miles long and not too steep. I can usually do it in the big chain ring. After about a mile into the climb, I had to go to the middle ring; I was dying. At times I wished I did die, that way I wouldn't have to keep climbing this damn hill. Then I did the unthinkable, I stopped. I was so out of breathe, I couldn't go on. After a few minutes, I started back up the hill, this damned hill. There's no way I was going to let this stupid hill beat me. Down shift. Granny ring (smallest chain ring). No! This hill won't beat me. "Keep going. Keep going", I told myself. Then, I stopped again. This time for a few more minutes than the first time. Before My first "pause", I could see Ron & Kate ahead of me. Now, I couldn't. After what felt like an eternity straddling my bike on the side of the road, I continued. I made it to the top! Once I started down the hill, I was rolling pretty good. Unfortunately, coming down this side is much less steep than the climb. I averaged about 23mph all the way to the turn around/starting point. As I pulled into the parking lot, my left quad cramped up enough for me to take notice. I met the group back at the cars and proclaimed that i was wiped. I threw in the towel.

It turns out that you can't take a significant time out of the saddle and expect to ride like you did before the break. I also realized that my morning "nutrition" sucked which also contributed to my bonk. Typically, I eat a better breakfast before riding (and I will going forward). I have learned a valuable lesson.

On a happier note, I am proud of Team Bad-Ass. They have really stepped up the cycling. Kate in particular. She was on fire! I have seen marked improvement in her cycling. Ron too, he was cranking right along and keeping pace with Kate (something I couldn't do). I have a list to help me improve:

1. Ride more
2. Get a road bike (with gears)
3. Ride more

I have listed my mountain bike on Craigslist (sniff, sniff) and hope to apply the funds I get towards a new road bike.

I suppose when I say "I rode with Team Bad-Ass", it's a bit of an overstatement. Yes, I rode on the same day, on the same route, but certainly not with. It would be generous to even say that I chased them. It wasn't much of a chase. I'm looking forward to building back up the cardio so I can once again hang.

Fun Work Outs

2010-06-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to add some fun into my work outs. So far so good. I started this weekend with two big rides. The first was with my Native Biker Gang aka Team Bad Ass. We rode 50 miles with heavy climbing. The next day I went out with a group of people from the BeginnerTriathlete website. See photo above. It was great to meet people who had done the Ironman and who were training for the Ironman. We rode about 32 miles on sunday.

Besides the rides, I took a swim class, an interval work out class, and a Zumba class. I think I have the most fun when i have people to work out with.

On top of it all, we are doing a biggest loser competition at work. There are 8 of us and a $200 pot. winner take all. I still hope to lose 20 pounds before the Ironman. We'll see.

Melt down is over . . .

2010-05-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

I decided I'm going to concentrate on weight loss and the stuff I want to enjoy until my 20 week Ironman plan starts. I need to find some fun before it becomes REAL intense. I CAN DO THIS!

2010-05-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

WARNING: TRIATHLETE BREAK DOWN AHEAD!

Don't mean to be a drama queen but I QUIT! I'm tired from work, family, and life. How can I possibly fit in Triathlon?! Seriously? Let alone an Ironman!
My hubby thinks I'm paralyzed by fear right now. After the Half Ironman I know what it is going to take to get to Ironman Arizona and I'm stuck.

Nothing seems to be cooperating with my training. I'm stressed to the max. My family and young kids need me. I can't get enough sleep. I despise the swim. UGH!!

It seems like everyone else is totally committed and just keep going. I don't know if I can do it.

UGH . . .

2010-05-14T00:19:00.000-07:00

I have a race on Sunday and I feel very unprepared. I don't like this feeling. I'm hoping that the end of the school year will bring me more work out time.

I'll keep you posted on my the big race on Sunday. Tempe International OLY distance

Silent Sunday at South Mountain

2010-04-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

We had a great day of riding today. Me and my boys tackled South Mountain. It was Silent Sunday so the roads were closed to traffic. AWESOME. This is a tough ride though b/c it is a 7 mile climb straight up. I did it though! The cutest part was that my friend Darlene hiked up the back side of the mountain to cheer us on. I missed her going up and saw her as she was about to leave. I almost cuased a crash but I had to get the photo! Too cute. I consider this a great training day!

My Triathlon Slogan . . .

2010-04-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

"Why suck in one sport when you can suck in three?"

El Tour de Phoenix

2010-04-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

My race today was AWESOME! Ron and I were very proud of how we did. We took about 20 minutes off our time from the 66 mile ride in November. I'm so happy to see my training pay off! I'm also very happy Ron and I found something we can do together. I love riding with him. We finished the race in 4:46:00. We would have been faster but Ron got a flat. That added about 11 minutes to our time. Ron said he could really see my training paying off when we hit a 4 mile climb at mile 60. He usually leads up the hill but this time I lead and he was wiped out. Ron and I finished side by side. I loved it. Look how cute we are in our matching bike jerseys! Here are some photos from the day.

Ready to Go Again!

2010-04-09T21:13:00.001-07:00

So we rested for a week after the Half Ironman. It is now time to gear up and go again. Arizona Ironman, here I come!

Tomorrow Ron and I are going to ride in the Tour de Phoenix. 72 miles. I'm looking forward to it! I'll post some pictures soon.

More race photos

2010-03-30T00:12:00.000-07:00

Kate's raw neck from the swim cap. I also have a burn on the back of my neck.

Kate and Leah before the race.

Kate and Peter waiting for our swim waves

Kate's Race Report

2010-03-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

Ford Ironman 70.3 California
2010-03-27
Oceanside, California
United States
Ironman North America
Weather: Sunny

Triathlon - 1/2 Ironman
Total Time = 8h 27m 10s
Overall Rank = 2127/2152
Age Group = F40-44
Age Group Rank = 92/97
Pre-race routine
My pre-race started roughly. I had a very long and hard week of work and didn't get to San Diego until 3:00 the day before the race. By the time we got up to Oceanside and checked into the hotel it was 5:30. My bro-in-law Peter took me to the check-in. I got super nervous at check-in b/c everyone looked like tri gods and godesses. He then took me to the swim, my biggest hurdle, to check out the course. It looked rough and choppy b/c the wind was blowing. We looked at it from 4 different views and it freaked me out.

After check-in we went to eat and it was 8:00 when we got back to the hotel. I was freaked out I hadn't had time to properly prepare for everything. I was hoping to meet up with my friend Leah but it was late and I was a mess. I got everything ready the best I could and went to bed.

Suzanne Peter and I met up at 5:05am to ride down to the race start. It was still dark and pretty chilly. We were layered up and had all of our stuff in our back packs. We got to transition and set up our stuff. I racked my bike and found my buddies again to get body marked.

There were a couple nice ladies racked next to me who made small talk as we got ready. By this time my nerves were sky high. One helped me zip my wetsuit and I helped a first time tri person setup transition.

I went to find Peter and we hung out with Theresa until we went to the start. As we watched the pros start, I had a calm feeling come over me. Nothing I could do now except give it a shot. My nerves relaxed, I said goodbye to my family and I headed to my wave. No turning back!
Event warmup:

There was no warm up. I really couldn't eat anything b/c I had a nervous stomach. I had a big dinner the night before so I felt OK about not eating.
Swim Comments:

I entered the shoot and tried to find my wave. Unfortunately, the put the waves too close together so we were all jammed together like sardines trying to get into the right groups. I felt bad for the people trying to wiggle their way through the sardines up to their groups. We were like cattle stuck together. We couldn't do anything but move with the crowd.

I am a bad swimmer and Open Water Swims are my greatest fear. Luckily, I was in a calm zone when I got to the start. I was just moving with the crowd observing and moving. When I got the start I dropped my flipflops and got into the water.

The water was about 58/59 degrees. It wasn't as cold as I thought. I had prepared by wearing a skull cap under my race cap and I pee'd in my wetsuit to keep me warm. (That's what people told me to do!) It was a 75 meter swim to the start. I immediately put my head in the water to get myself use to the cold. Not bad. I could handle it. The water was very salty. Slight shock but I had done a salty swim about a month ago. It was good practice.

As I got the start I went to the far right edge of the group. The bouys were on the left. So far so good. Calm and not freak out panic like usual. My group was ages 40-44 and older men. I felt pretty comfortable.

We got the start and I started! I was calm and cool and kept moving. I knew I was slow but I was pretty steady. The life guards were pretty good at keeping everyone on course. I kept going and moving. I felt decent the first few hundred meters. I'd get off course and then correct again. When we doglegged out of the harbor I knew I was getting mixed up. I'd swim and get out of line. I was trying sight but it was hard to see the bouys. I finally turned the corner but I knew I had messed up my mojo. I was getting passed right and left. I saw pink caps, blue caps, red caps, white caps, yellow caps and I think some purple caps.

As I came approached the last 500 meters they were funneling us all into a narrow alley. There was alot of contact and people were pushing me out of the way right and left. You could tell the good swimmers were totally annoyed that I was blocking their path.

I finally reached the end and was so happy to get a hand from the wet suit strippers. I did it!! I totally did it!! I was slow, I was steady but I did it!!

As I took off my skull cap I could feel that I had been rubbed raw under my neck. Yuck!

What would you do differently?:

I really need to work on the swim. I not only finished the BOP of my age group but I also finished the back of several other age groups! UGH! I think I need total immersion swim training or something similar to help this ugly situation. It was UGLY but I did it . . . and I'm PROUD I did it.

T1Comments:

I ran into the transition with a big old smile on my face. I did it! I did it. After the swim, I knew I could do the rest! Hooray!

I got back to transition proud but a little uncertain of where I was at compared to others in my division. When I got back to the rack I saw the lady who helped me put my wetsuit back on. Whew. At least someone in my division was still around! I had a hard time getting out of my wetsuit. Had a hard time deciding what to wear. The sun was shining but I was cold from the swim. I opted to put a short sleeve shirt over my trisuit. (too chunky to wear the tri suit all by itself) I sat down twice. Once to get the wetsuit off and once to get my shoes on. I was clearly flustered now that I look back. I finally got it together and took off.

What would you do differently?:

I would have a better plan of what I needed to wear. I would also practice my transitions more before the race.

Bike Comments:

I started the race and was sky high the first 20 miles. It was beautiful, I had a decent pace, and I had survived the swim. Awesome! I even got a little emotional at times. I was ready b/c I knew the hills were coming and I had to be on the look out. I had done a practice ride on a computrainer for the hills. Unfortunately, the computer ride didn't do the hills justice. They were rough! I was going 3 to 4 mph up those babies! My proudest accomplishement after the swim was that I didn't have to walk up the hills. I powered through them just as I practiced but they kicked my rear end!

Besides the hills I had to battle the wind. During some spots the wind was so tough I dropped down to my little chain ring so I could keep going. No fun!

The last 15 miles I tried to push it to up my bike time but I couldn't get it over 14 mph. UGH.

I was happy with my nutrition. I took a couple salt sticks, I ate bananas when they were offered. I drank ever 15 minutes. I did a gu every 45 minutes unless I got food on the route.

I was disappointed with my bike time but I was happy I got through it.

What would you do differently?:

I need to work on my biking. I have no technique. I need to find some. I think I might be a decent biker with a little coaching.

T2 Comments:

OK transition. I don't remember much of this one. I was TIRED after the bike. As I ran out of the transition, I immediately stopped and got some water and washed off my face. I was TIRED!

What would you do differently?:

Get faster.

Run Comments:
Wow. I hit the wall on the run. I planned on running the first 6 miles. I couldn't I had to walk at mile 2. I was TIRED! I walked every aid station and took a little bit of water and gatoraid. About mile 4 I had to keep walking. Luckily, I had a woman come up to me named LyLy. She said she had been trying to keep up with me the whole race. I said "you caught me, Good luck! See you at the finish." She was so nice and said, she couldn't do much more than what i was doing so let's do it together. We started walk running together. We then met up with Dave. Dave had hurt his knee and needed some motivation too. The three of us walked and ran the rest of the way together.

On loop two we were all losing steam. Dave's knee was hurting. I was ready to send them on their way but they stuck with me. The three of us knew we were ok b/c we had calculated the cut off times. We had time to finish even if we walked the rest of the way. We powered through together and kept going. When were about making our turn to go back the last 3 miles we met up with another guy named Scott. He like me and Dave was also from Arizona. He like the rest of us needed the extra push to keep going. Dave came up with the idea to walk a light post, walk a light post. It got us to the end.

Around mile 11 we saw the last athlete on the run go by starting their second loop. We knew he was the last athlete b/c he had a motorcyle following behind him. It was a weird feeling knowing I was that close to the end of the cut off. When we finally came to the end, there was a bridge we had to cross. We all decided we would run when we hit the bridge to the finish. That was less then a mile at that point. LyLy took off and I was chasing her, Dave and Scott stopped. As I was turning the corner I heard my friend Leah's name being called at the finish. I soon heard LyLy's name then mine!

I did it!! I finished and within the cut off time! Thank goodness! I owe Dave and LyLy and Scott a big thank you for keeping me moving. I don't know if I could have done it without them. If I could have, it wouldn't have been as enjoyable.

What would you do differently?:

I needed more run training. I knew I was neglecting my run.

Post race

I went through the finish line, got my medal, got my hat and started back to the bikes. I was looking for Leah b/c I knew she had recently finished. I walked through the food tent and to the bike but didn't see her. As I got to my bike I sat down and stretched. I had a woman take a photo of me with my medal and packed it up. My sis came and got me and we walked back to my family waiting in my van. It was a good day.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Weight was a big factor in my performance. I know I could do better if I was about 20 to 30 pounds lighter. I also need to work on my technical skills in all three sports.

Event comments:

This was a good race. Challenging, beautiful, great weather and awesome volunteers. I think I have to sign up again to try to beat my times!

Want to follow us?

2010-03-24T00:22:00.000-07:00

If you want to check us out during our race you can watch our progress on-line. The race director sent us this message the other day.

TRACK YOUR ATHLETE: If your friends and family cannot make it to Oceanside, they can still cheer you on via www.ironman.com. They can look you up by bib number, age group or name.

I think there is a tracker that pops up on race day. My bib number is 1577, Peter's number is 953, and Suzanne's number is 1893.

Lake Bartlett Olympic Tri

2010-03-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

I did the Lake Barlett Olympic distance Tri today. In short, it was tough! Really really tough.

Swim: That water was brrrrr cold! 60 degrees. 1500 meters. Good thing I had on a neoprene skull cap and neoprene booties. Those really helped out. I can't imagine doing that swim without them. Overall the swim turned out ok. Then again I had my own private freak out for the first 500-600 meters. My breathing was out of control and my heart rate was crazy jacked up. After the 3rd buoy I was able to get off my back and get back into the swim. Strokes weren't great, but I was get to get through it. Best part - no ice cream headache.

Bike: Bike was tough. Two out and back loops. The "out" was all up-hill. Most of the grade ranged between 5 and 10%. Started at 1812ft and went up to about 3000ft. Avg about 5-6 mph going up the hill and up to 36 mph going down. Really. It was spooky going that fast for that long. My legs were completely shredded by the end of the ride. Even though it was only 24 miles, it seemed much much longer.

Run: The 10k run was crazy tough too. About 400 feet elevation gain. Lots and lots of hills. Grade between 5-10%. Steepest grade at 14%. In short, it had lots of hills that were long and steep. My time was not good. For a good portion I averaged about a 12 min mile. I ended up with an 11:01 min mile. This is significantly slower than what I planned. Then again, I was able to finish.

I am wiped out. I will be sleeping well tonight. I am glad I got that cold open water swim out of the way!

Only 5 days to Carlsbad!

8 Days

2010-03-18T21:11:00.001-07:00

8 Days!

It is officially Freak Out Time!

Freaky! Outy! Freaky! Outy!

Today was a good day!

2010-03-16T23:30:00.001-07:00

It was a great day in Kate's Triathlon World. (1) I was able to get up the computrainer hills and they were not as bad as i thought. I was slow and steady but I did it. (2) I had a great chat with a tri coach. He was administering my computrainer ride. He was pleasant, informative, easy to talk to and happy to help me. He had done the CA70.3 before and is doing it this time too. He also raced IMAZ twice! I'm going to see what I can set up with him after this race. (3) He reminded me that I would be racing in the 40 age group this tri season. Guess what?! That gives me like 15 more minutes in the swim!! Hooray!! I feel ike a ton of bricks have been taken off my back.

70 Miles! Wow! I did that?

2010-03-13T17:51:00.000-08:00

Today me and my buddies rode 70 mile on our road bikes. I'm so excited. I can't believe I did it. I got my bike in April of last year. I could not go over 16 miles an hour, I was spent after 13 miles, and I was scared to ride down hills. Today we averaged 16.5 miles per hour, traveled 70 miles, and my fastest time was 40.5 miles per hour going down hill.

If you really think about it, I shouldn't be able to do this. I'm an overweight mom of two who is going to turn 40 this year. I can't swim well and I've had a road bike less then a year. How did this happen? Well, anyway, enough about me.

The ride was great. Suzanne, Peter, Ron, Denten, and I took the 70 mile challenge. It was a beautiful day for a ride. Gary met us in Phoenix and rode the rest of the way with us. We road to the end of Pecos road on the South Side of South Mountain. I love being around the mountains. At mile 56 I was TIRED! Luckily we stopped and fueled up at a bagel shop. It was just enough to get me home. It also helped that Gary was our pacer the last 10 miles. He had us going 18-20 miles an hour on my hardest stretch of the ride. Thanks to him, we kept our average speed up to 16.5 mph.

I'm proud I did the ride. It was a great work out. I hope it helps with the Half Ironman!

PS - I dedicate this ride to Judi for her 50th birthday!

Firebird Triathlon Race results

2010-03-08T22:33:00.000-08:00

The race results are up for our triathlon. Suzanne kicked BUTT and finished 1st in her age group and 8th overall for women. She is a rock star. Peter did well too. He was not a "Suzanne type" finisher but he did a good job.

Here are my times for the event.

Swim = 16.19 for 600m
Transition 1 = 2.50
Bike = 44.18 minute for 12 miles
Transition 2 = 1.56
Run = 37.32 minutes for 3 something run. (people think it is long)
Total time = 1.42.56

At first I was really bummed with my performance. The swim was not what I was hoping for. I thought I had my open water swim panic issues under control so I was truly dissapointed I had to flip to my back to get my heart rate down. After seeing the final times I am ok with this race. It is the first race of the season and I'm just working out the kinks for the big race. I have improved quite a bit from my first races. I just need to keep moving and remember most people wouldn't even attempt something like this.

Firebird Lake Triathlon

2010-03-07T16:53:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from today's Sprint Triathlon at Firebird Lake. The distance of the race was 600m Swim, 12 mile bike, and 5k run. The photos are of me and Peter and my internet training buddy Lisa. I'll add more and give an update soon.

Suzanne was there but got there too late for pictures. She did awesome. She finished 8th overall for women and 2nd in her age group. Oh, to be young again!

Usery Pass Ride - 40 miles

2010-03-06T20:37:00.000-08:00

Today Ron, Jake and I tackled Usery Pass. Usery Pass is always a hard ride because you have to ride uphill 4 miles straight during one portion. Tough but awesome. Jake (aka Kid Rocket) wasn't feeling so great so he only went one loop. Let me tell you . . . I'd love to be as fast as "sick" Jake. He is FAST! Ron and I tackled two loops and felt really good with our times. I took some photos to show everyone how pretty it was. The desert was green from all the rain.

Resting up this evening for a small triathlon tomorrow morning. It is supposed to rain but I'm ok with it. I mainly want to get an open water swim under my belt! Peter, Suzanne, and one of my on-line buddies are doing the race with so it should be funsville. I'll keep you posted.

California 70.3 Race Preview from a tri coach

2010-02-28T23:32:00.000-08:00

So I found this blog giving a preview of the California Half Ironman. SCARY, but in a great way because the more information the better! It might be better for you to read this from his webiste. He has a lot of great videos and maps! http://coachvance.blogspot.com/2010/02/2010-ironman-703-california-oceanside.html

29 Days . . .

2010-02-25T21:03:00.000-08:00

WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?!

I can't believe I signed up for a Half Ironman. I'm almost 40. I'm overweight. I'm slow. I can't swim. I'm really starting to freak out.

All I can do at this point is QUIT or work my ASS OFF! I choose the latter. Quitting isn't an option b/c I've invested too much time, money and energy at this point to turn back.  Plus I told too many people I am doing it!

So in the triathlon training world you should go super hard the next couple weeks and then I take it easy before the race. With this in mind I have planned a big weekend. I am going to do a long ride up to the towers at South Mountain. To ride all the way up to the top you have to ride up hill for about 7 miles. It is pretty steep so I doubt we will have many other riders with us. The total ride will be around 50 miles and I want to start climbing after about 30 miles. I'm also going to do a long run this weekend. I'm hoping for about 8 miles.

I have also been in touch with my swim coach.  For the past year I have taken adult swim classes off and on.  My coach's name is Jonny.  He is a former British national champ and a former Arizona State University swimmer. I am going to set up an hour long private lesson. I've come a long way since I've started swimming but I think I could pick up some time if I had better form. Hopefully Jonny is a miracle worker!

Wish me luck!  It is going to be a crazy couple of weeks!

A miserable ride!

2010-02-20T21:17:00.000-08:00

Today Peter had planned a practice triathlon for to get us ready for the California 70.3. The tri was supposed to be about 3/4 the distance of the real race. We met up at 7:00 a.m. to start our swim. We all swam 1450 meters. Suzanne was so fast she completed her 29 laps when I was on lap 18. Embarrassing! We got dressed and headed out for the bike portion. When we got outside it was much colder than we were expecting. Chilly and overcast. As we started out on our 40 mile ride we realized the dark clouds were going to turn to rain. We also rode into a head wind for most of the ride! We were about 20 some miles in and it started. It poured on us! We were so cold and wet Ron and I turned back. We were absolutely miserable. We had rain, road splatter and car splatter. Our sock, shorts, and shirts were completely drenched. By the time I got back to our starting/ending place I decided to forgo the run. My body was frozen to the core. It took us a good 1 hour to warm up. Miserable. Peter and Suzanne ran after that ride. I was proud of them. They are tougher than I am.

Crazy Triathlete Weightloss Quote . . .

2010-02-16T23:07:00.000-08:00

I found this on a triathlon website. I thought it would give the rest of you an idea of how much people worry about weight in this sport. Crazy.
"The trick is to keep losing weight until your friends and family ask you if you've been sick. Then you know you're within 10 pounds. If they start whispering to each other, wondering if you've got cancer or aids, you're within 5 pounds. When they actually do an intervention, you're at race weight." - Slowman

Good week for the Biking Ninja!

2010-02-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

This was a good work out weekend for me. I was able to do a couple things I didn't think I could do plus I received some good news.

Peter and I did a double work out on Saturday. We did a 2000m swim followed by a 6.2 mile run. I was so relieved that I was able to swim the full distance on my hurt shoulder. Peter thought I was faster than I was before my injury! YES! I have been paying more attention to my form so that was nice
Today I went on a 65 mile bike ride. I was so excited that I was able to complete the distance in a timely manner without my "girly parts" being damaged. It was a beautiful day for a ride. I ended up taking my longsleeve shirt off and then realized I was dressed in all black. Jake said I looked like a Biking Ninja. Made me laugh!
Today I found out that I will have an hour and 29 minutes to finish the swim portion of my Half Ironman. thank goodness. I was worried about making the cut of time. This time will give me some room to freak out and still make it!

I'm feeling much stronger and much more confident after each long work out. 40 days to go. No time to mess around!

First 20k TT!

2010-02-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

I raced my first time trial (TT) this morning out west of Buckeye, AZ (yes, the Wild Wild West complete with cow poop smell in the air), and not only was it my first ever actual race on a bike only that wasn't a tour event but it was also my first ever race as part of the Tribe Women's team. Whoot! I picked up my kit, pink plaid jersey and shorts + arm and knee warmers, this morning and was colorful to say the least. It was great!

14.2 miles was the actual race distance, and while that isn't very far, it hurt. As I understand it the goal is to cover that distance in the shortest amount of time possible while not blowing yourself up. Yes, that's the goal in every race, like a 5k run, but as compared to a criterium bike race: in a crit, you race the clock -- how many laps on this 1 mile course can I make in X amt. of time while in a pack of other cyclists around corners? In a TT: how fast can I cover 20k out here by myself without being in a pack of other cyclists?

It was really cool to do, and they even had us start at the top of a ramp and shoot down onto the out-and-back course up Sun Valley Pkwy. Totally felt like a champ before I even went anywhere. It was a little less flat than we thought, and a little less downhill on the way back than I'd been told, but that's alright. I know I can go faster next time for sure because now I have a little better idea of how quickly to start (not very) and when to really start picking up the pace (maybe a smidge sooner than I did).

Tomorrow am is the 41.5 mile road race which I will do with the rest of my team and I have 2 goals: (1) stay with the pack, and (2) finish. The rest of my team is a bit faster than I am so goal 1 will be a challenge. Then in the afternoon I'm running the Skirtchaser 5k. Way fun! Hopefully I can make it to the Sunday am 60 mile group ride. But for now, it's off to the pool.

No turning back now . . .

2010-02-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

Well, it is real. Our athletes' guide for the half ironman came via email today. Wow. What a motivator.

I am now thinking about how I will spend the next month or two. There are only a few weekends left to fit everything in. This is what I have on the books so far. (See below) I need to get another half marathon in and a an open water swim or two scheduled.

February 13, 14 - Long ride on the 14th = 60 miles
February 20, 21 -
February 27, 28 - Long ride Silent Sunday South Mountain replicate CA70.3
March 6, 7 - Firebird Lake Triathlon (OWS)
March 13, 14 -
March 20, 21 -
March 27th - Race weekend

Not a great week . . .

2010-02-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

This was a very rough work out week for me.

This week i had my first day back in the pool since my accident. The swim was much more painful than I thought it would be. I was VERY discouraged. I could feel pain doing my warm up strokes. Not good. I am going to have to work my tail off to be able to do this race.

Next, it rained on the day i was going to do a nice long ride. Instead of 50 miles I only got in 20 miles. THEN during my 20 mile ride I got a flat tire. UGH. I started to feel like this was not meant to be.

I was sitting waiting for my hubby to come change my tire feeling very sorry for myself. I was thinking about how he would take me home and I'd probably go for a run. But then Ron came, changed my tire and i was back on my way. I had a great ride! I made good time and I know i am a much stronger rider than i used to be. Maybe I can do this?!

Yes, I know I can do this, but I will have to work my butt off until the race. Literally! I have to drop some more weight. I know I can do the bike. I know I can do the run. I just have to meet that swim cut off time.

Wish me luck!!

2010-01-31T21:00:00.000-08:00

Sneeze, cough, sneeze, cough. Ugh. That's been the music I'm dancing to the last couple weeks. Somehow school caught up with me after Christmas break and basically handed me my rear along with a nasty cold. But of course I don't take advice that includes "go to sleep, Suzanne," or "take it easy," or "why don't you stay home from the gym today? You can't breathe anyway" very well. Thought I was better after "taking it easy" by attending a two day women's cycling clinic through Tribe but I wasn't. I did learn a ton and down a bottle of Dayquil while there, though. I actually had a great time and got in a couple really good rides, learned how to change my tire (after I got a flat that morning . . .), took a cornering clinic so now I can slingshot my little self around the turns, and also learned a bit about nutrition and mindset. It was great!

Then I thought I was better again a couple days later. Alas, I thought wrong. My cold moved from my head to my chest and knocked me back on my butt again. This all happened the first full week of January through this last weekend, and this Friday was the first time I've run. I ran 4 miles! I did manage a couple spin classes but mostly it was yoga and walking on the treadmill and trying to breathe. I'm convinced I'm actually better now.

Sometime in the middle of that I did ride up South Mountain with PMBC and had a great time! What a rewarding view up there! While I couldn't have done it twice in one day I was totally ready for another go the next day. My cold was not, but whatever. And thanks to Gary for sticking with me the whole ride up. Just keep pedaling.

Today I managed a 30 minute swim: 1 x 100 warm up, 5 x 200 swim, 2 x 100 kick, 2 x 100 warm down. Not the most grueling thing but I'm working on it. Then I ran 3 miles on the treadmill and did some core work.

While I still have a long ways to go to take this tri by storm and am scared of it, I also know that I will do a great job. Every time I think about the finish I get goosebumps. I'm stoked and focused and might even cut back on my MnM's habit. Well, I will make an attempt at that. Every girl needs a little chocolate now and then!

It's Getting Hot!

2010-01-30T16:53:00.000-08:00

Ok. Maybe not hot. But at least warm. Temp was 67 during my run. Hoo boy. It is only January 30. What is it going to be like in a month?

How are we going to keep the running up in July when it is 100 degrees first thing in the morning?

Bueller?

Matt's Big Breakfast

2010-01-30T14:12:00.000-08:00

Note to self - Running a half marathon after stuffing myself at Matt's Big Breakfast is not advised.

P.F. Chang's Marathon

2010-01-26T20:06:00.001-08:00

So I did it. Finished my first marathon. Time 4:28. Overall pace was a 10:15 mile. Hooray!

Things went pretty well through mile 16. My pace up to then was a 9:30 mile. I was pretty psyched about that as this is significantly faster than I have run on my long runs. I felt like I was flying. That pace is probably why I started to drop off pretty good at mile 19. When I got to mile 22 I was able to clearly understand why people only run one marathon. I was not feeling so hot. The pain and tiredness was creeping in. I was ready to begin walking and maybe even laying down. Then I began to really admire those folks that are able to actually complete an Ironman. Seriously. I can't imagine completing a full marathon after a 2 mile swim and 100 plus mile bike ride. Insane.

I also can't imagine running with a 24 ounce can of Coors light. But that is what one of the guys near me was doing. I saw him at mile 20 with a beer and then crossing the finish line 6 miles later with that same beer. Crazy. Who does that?

Anyways, I am glad to have finished without any injuries.

March 27 Here I come!

Tonight's Swim and Cut-off Times

2010-01-26T19:45:00.000-08:00

Swam 2000 meters in 53:24 tonight. While I am pleased that I was able to go that far this is still a slow time. I just checked out the swim times from last year's California 70.3 and this puts me as one of the very slowest swimmers. The slowest swim that finished (no DNF or DQ) was 59:54.

Swim cut-off is 1:10. Bike Cut-off is 5:30 after the start. Run cut-off is 8:30 after the start.

We have a long way to go!

Silent Sunday at South Mountain

2010-01-24T19:53:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited about my ride today. We tackled South Mountain! It was "silent sunday" which means the roads were closed to traffic so bikers and joggers could enjoy the park without dodging cars. At the very top of the mountain there are TV towers that we can see from our house in Gilbert. 1300 feet in elevation changes. It was a ton of climbing with 4 and 5% grades. We drove it yesterday and I was sure I would have to walk some it.

Well, it was a success! I climbed it and felt pretty good. I can feel my biking skills getting stronger and stronger. Ron said this is now his favorite ride. It is up there for me but probably not my favorite. It is cool having the road to yourself!

I am hoping to get that ride in again but after some front end mileage to try to replicate the half ironman course. A girl who did the California Half Ironman last year said that South Mountain was good practice for the half ironman.

I ruined the great day of exercise by eating everything in sight. Oh well. At least I'm working out!

Here is a link that shows the ride up to the TV towers. Make sure you hit the elevation button under the mileage so you can see how steep it it! The Half Ironman route with elevation is shown on the bottom right hand side of the page. http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/az/phoenix/825124310682582761

78 Days??!! How did that happen??!!

2010-01-07T22:12:00.000-08:00

Seriously?! How did we get down to 78 days already? I just put up the countdown calendar and freaked out when it told me the days until the race. What a reality check. I need to get my shoulder back to normal and log a ton more time working out.

I am ready. I can do this. I am NOT scared. I am strong. I can swim 2000 meters. I am so fast going up hills.

Triathlon Crew!

2010-01-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

We need to get it together!! No more hibernating or accidents or injuries!!! LET's Get FIRED up!!

The Big Crash

2010-01-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

Yes I crashed, I'm back, but I'm not 100% yet. Actually, I'm sore as hell!

This was my first bike accident and I'm very thankful I wan't going down hill at 35 MPH! I took a turn too fast and hit a brick subdivision wall in the Blvd. Yes, hit the curb and straight into the wall. UGH! I blew my tire and smashed the side of my helmet as I turned my face away from the wall. As a result, my shoulder took the full force of the wall. I was a mile from my house and I couldn't get ahold of anyone. I put my chain back on my bike and walked my bike the whole way home.

When I got home everyone said I looked like crap. I decided I should take a shower and regroup. I knew things were bad when I couldn't take my clothes off. I couldn't lift my shoulder. My MIL had to come in my bedroom and undress me. Embarrassing! Everyone said I should go to urgent care and get checked out. I was going to try to sleep it off but I was in too much pain.

Went to Urgent care and they said I seperated my A/C joint. 2nd Degree seperation. I didn't realize it at the time but I busted my knee. The shoulder was the biggest pain but as the day moved on I realized my knee was big and swollen. I also had a huge bruise on the opposite thigh. What a mess. They gave me vicodin and muscle relaxers. It helped but I was totally out of it. I've been off the meds except when sleeping the past couple of nights.

I've been doing little bursts of exercise. 30 minutes every other day. It feels like nothing compared to what I've been doing. I'm going on a ride this weekend too. I figure I need to get back on the bike right away.

I have a half marathon in a couple of weeks I'd like to do if possible. Our race is coming up too! We only have about 11 more weeks. The problem is I'm sore but I know I should be training. Push myself or rest myself? UGH!!!

Spin Class = Ouch for Suzanne

2010-01-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

Last night was my first spin class in about 2 weeks. Damn. It was NOT pleasant! And it wasn't even that tough of a class. So I guess that means I really did hibernate over winter break with my 12 hours of sleep a night and "big" runs of 4 miles (with hills!). What a rude reminder.

This week, including the spin class, I'll be on a bike 4 days: Tuesday spin, Thursday ride with Tribe, and then a two-day weekend cycling clinic with Tribe, also. Really going to get my rear end handed to me! But the clinic should be good, and will include nutrition information, a couple of shorter time trials and a core stability class, too.

Haven't been in a pool since the middle of November . . . oops.

And running, well, that's at least portable. I ran almost every day over winter break at home, although not always very far. I stayed at my mom's house that is on top of two giant hills, so that counts for a little extra. And my goal was only maintenance (or not sliding backwards too far) of fitness rather than to make leaps and bounds in reducing my body fat %. There were cookies!

So this week and next it's back at it because we are less than 11 weeks until go time. Go team!

On Vacation

2009-12-23T22:20:00.000-08:00

I joined the Tribe Women's Racing Team the beginning of December, paid my dues and will soon be racing in a pink kit. Awesome! And I'm so glad pink looks good on me. Ha! My only official team activity, though, aside from paying for my membership, was attending the monthly meeting in December. But I did run the Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon with Kate and had a great time (and ran a personal best by 16 minutes)! It was really cold out that morning, at least cold for Phoenix but come the middle of the race that was kind of nice. I would so much rather run in the cold than the heat!

The following weekend, after 1 final and one paper and before two more finals two days later we did the Usery Pass ride and I thought I was going to die. At first I was just fine but I couldn't get warm enough and all of a sudden I was so far behind everyone else! It sucked, really. So after loop one I ate, had a ton of water and pulled on borrowed gloves (thanks, Gary!) and we set off again. The sun came up high enough during the second loop, and the sugar + water + warmth helped me out a bit, at least enough to make it to the end. But I have definitely had better rides than that one!

Now home in Oregon for break I've been a bit of a slacker, sleeping in a lot and going to bed early and making batch after batch of cookies. I have gotten in a couple runs and a spin class, and bought a new pair of running shoes so am stoked about those (they're also pink. Theme here?); they're helping me to re-motivate, which is much needed right now!

So that's me! Merry Christmas and happy workouts!

Kate - December 16th

2009-12-16T19:56:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick update for everyone.

Ride: This weekend's ride was great. We did a super hilly ride and I can tell I'm getting stronger. I'm still not fast and I'm still the back of the pack. I do feel a bit of improvement and that was nice. I like the new seat Ron got me. No soreness. The hole in the middle of seat really helps. I'm still a little anxious to see what would happen on a 60 mile ride.

Weight loss: I've been doing good with my food logging. I'm using the DailyPlate.com on the LIVESTRONG website. I think I am at the wrong activity level. The site tells me I can eat 2200 calories a day. I don't have a problem meeting that. Even though I've logged a ton of exercise time this week I still gained 2 pounds. I am going to take my calories down a bit to about 1700. Hopefully that puts me in the right balance. I really need to lose more weight if I want to perform better in these races. (or I need to be ok with finishing last. No thank you!)

I've got a lot of nervous energy for the HIM right now. It is going to be a wild ride!

Bike Trainer Mishap

2009-12-15T19:11:00.000-08:00

Today was my first bike trainer mishap. I neglected to secure my back wheel to the trainer and when I was pedaling standing up I started wobbling from side to side. The inevitable happened and my back wheel came off, I darted forward about half a foot and fell over. I now have a nice looking soon to be bruise on my right leg from falling on the chair next to me.

Today's lesson: Make sure the trainer is secured!

Bike Trainer

2009-12-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

Way to go Katie!!! Personal best is awesome! Trujillo - you are a star too!

So I bought a bike trainer a couple weeks ago and it had been collecting dust in my garage. There are a variety of reasons for not using it. One: I am lazy. Two: I am a big chicken and afraid that I would break my bike in the process of securing it to the trainer. Three: It didn't seem like a great idea to set it up in the middle of the living room and take up what little free space we have downstairs. Fourth: did I mention that I am lazy?

Finally set it up this evening in front of the TV and next to the Christmas tree. My interest was renewed after reading an article in Triathlete magazine on the importance of bike training and how most people undertrain in that important area. The points of the article were that if you train more on the bike then your bike time will decrease significantly (of course) and more importantly, you will have more energy when you start the run. Sounds logical to me. My one long ride a week just isn't cutting it as I learned the very hard way during El Tour de Tucson. That sixty-six miles was a killer.

In short - Holy smokes! What a great workout. Sixty minutes on that bad boy wiped me out. My clothes were soaked about halfway into the workout. Completely drenched when I finished. Now I am feeling good and a bit tired. Most importantly I am feeling very pleased with my very efficient workout. Highly recommended. I am even thinking about jumping on the bike trainer again tomorrow morning.

Good news! Personal Best!

2009-12-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

Good news! I got my Personal Best time for the half marathon today!! Hooray! It was by 21 seconds. The best part about besting my best is that my old best time was from 2004. I was stoked! There is something to this cross training thing. The last half marathon I did was January 2009 and my time was over 3 hours. (I didn't train very well) This time is huge for me! Not only did I have a decent time I felt good the whole run and had a little extra in me to push at the end. I didn't hurt myself either. I felt great!

I really enjoyed this race. It was the Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon. The run was through Scottsdale. The race was well staffed and had our times every hour. This race also had the best medals and a nice technical shirt. Pretty cool.

Because this run went well, I am going to push through and gear up for the full marathon now. I have a long way to go this next 6 weeks!

PS - Suzanne had a personal best too!! (of course!) Peter . . . he opted out of this race for Vegas. I'm sure he would have had a great time too.

Kate's update

2009-12-03T00:18:00.000-08:00

Kate Checking in! Here is my latest update. Peter, Suzanne and I have a half marathon on Sunday. 13.1 miles of fun! Peter and I are supposed to be training for a full marathon in mid January. Peter has been doing a great job with his running. I have not. This half marathon will determine what I do for the full. If it goes terribly I might have to down grade to the half marathon. If it goes well, I will GO FOR IT!!

Work out: Today I went to my new YMCA and did an hour long bike ride on the brand new lifetime fitness bike. I chose the hill circuit called "around the world". It was fun and I like all the information the machine gives you. I was able to watch myself climb, see my heart rate, see my rpms and mph AND watch the news! I need to have someone help me with the bike seat and help me decide what level to start on next time. I just guessed at both of those. I figured I'd know a little more then the Teenage girls working the front desk. My goal is to up my work out hours and meet my training times that my training plan laid out this week.

Shoes: I got new shoes today! My in-laws got me a gift card to RoadRunner. I am supposed to be training for a marathon so I need to upgrade my shoe. It came down to the Brooks and the Saucony. The Brooks seemed too clunky compared to Saucony. I've been wearing Brooks and like them but the others felt so light and cushy. I'll take them for a test run tomorrow.

Wish us luck on the half marathon!

Scheduling Showdown

2009-12-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

Law school hijacked my training. I don't know how it happened, but it definitely happened. And coupled with a Thanksgiving weekend at home with fantastic food, my family and friends and a place far far away from the law library, I've slid into slackerdom. So a quick run through of the last week + . . .

Tour de Tuscon was great! It was my first competitive cycling event (I did the Portland (Ore.) Night Ride this summer, but really, how competitive can you be when wearing a bumblebee outfit complete with wings?) so I had no idea what to expect, other than a lot of people pushing and shoving at the start line. It was exactly that to begin with! But it was good energy and a lot of fun. The actual race was even better than the start, and thankfully I had to eat only 2 Clif Bars and a couple of Espresso Love Gus (my favorite, in case you were wondering) during the event. Someone put some serious hills in that 66 miles, though!

But really, I had a great time and even made friends with the race bandit* who was trying to draft off me during the middle third of the race. I got all mad and feisty, let him pass me by and then drafted off him for a bit, then he drafted off me again and I slowed down, went aero and shook my head at him. "It's hard to draft off you," he commented. "You're too small." Ha! And then we rode together until about mile 45 when his chain fell off his bike. Crossing the finish line was pretty cool, too, although for how much we paid to ride I expected filet mignon and champagne instead of stale bagels and warm water. Oh well. Next challenge is the ride + the 1/2 marathon right after. Yikes!

I was a bit sore Sunday but put in 8 miles on the treadmill anyway and was less sore afterwards. Monday was super easy at the gym (read: beginning the slackerdom), Tuesday & Wednesday included no gym time, unless carrying around my suitcase counts, but I did make it home to Portland in one piece! Thursday morning in between pie baking I organized my very own Turkey Day 10k on the treadmill. I got in a couple more runs over the weekend, but they were little; I should be thankful for all the training time I put in during the last few months which gave me a little leeway for finals time. The next couple weeks will be tough in terms of trying to fit it all in with three finals and a 15 page paper than I still need to research for, but I can sleep when I'm dead.

This weekend is the Fiesta Bowl 1/2 Marathon (still need to sign up for this) which I swear is the cheapest 1/2 I've ever heard of: $45! That's it! Very exciting. Chances are that I will run that, or at least as much of it as I can coming off my vacation.

So that's that! In the Thanksgiving spirit, I am so so thankful for my supportive friends and family, enough food every day for my 6+ meals (2nd lunch, anyone?), and for my health. Even though I'm not super fast or super buff, I can't help but think how awesome it is to be powerful enough to ride a bike 66 miles, to run 8 miles or more.

*race bandit: a person who participates in a race, often using the aid stations along the course, without paying the entry fee. Give-aways are lack of race number and timing chip, sneaky moves when race officials are present, and ditching just before the finish line.

The holidays are here!

2009-11-30T21:24:00.000-08:00

I had the Holiday crazies this weekend. I was responsible for Thanksgiving dinner and with two little ones we had to get all the fun Christmas stuff going ASAP. We did the tree, shopping, present wrapping, and house decorating. I'm wore out.

Work outs: Unfortunately all the Christmas fun has cut into my workout time. I've missed 3 days or work outs. (1) I skipped the day after my long ride to rest. (2) I took Sunday off b/c it was my girlfriends 40th birthday. We had lunch, drinks and went to a movie. (3) I went to swim this evening with my new YMCA membership and the pool closed 5 minutes before I got there. Of course I was wearing my suit and flip flops so I couldnt' switch gears. UGH! I decided not to beat myself up about too badly. I needed to do everything I did for the family. I also feel pretty well rested. Tomorrow is another day.

Tri Training Plan: I have been off on my tri training plan. After the first 3 weeks of the plan I have been off by 3 hours, 2.5 hours, and 1.75 hours. Not the best. To help get my hours up I have signed up for a YMCA membership. It is brand new and only 2.5 miles from my house. My goal is to go over there after my kids go to sleep at 8:00. They also offer a 6:00 a.m. spin class. If I can get a few more hours in a week I will get myself on schedule. Now I think I have close the perfect set up. I have a top notch work out facilty at work, one close to my house for when I can't go during work hours, and great weather in case I miss both.

Bike ride: My 60 mile ride went really well. The ride was 58.5 miles and we finished in about 4:09:00. We were happy with that b/c that time included all of our stops. Our Tucson ride took us 5:03:00. Tucson was 66 miles so we did take some time of the ride. I started to have my ride break down around mile 53 this time. Ron thinks we should build on these rides - distance and speed. I'm up for that if I can get comfortable. We have also mapped out some great hills too. Hopefully I'll be ready for that HIM ride!

My lady parts were super sore again. We acted immediately this time. Ron bought me a new cut out bike seat so I'll give it a test spin soon. I also got some new Pearl I bike shorts. There is an outlet near us so we went and got some stuff. I got a jersy for about $45!! (Marked down from $89) The shorts were $90 marked down to about $54. If I was a smaller size I could have scored some cute ladies jerseys for about $15.

Eating: I over ate. Pecan Pie is SOOO good!

Half Ironman & Ironman

2009-11-24T21:15:00.000-08:00

My mind is racing thinking about how I'm going to do this 2010 Ironman race. I can not allow myself to think about it though. My goal is to give full attention to the Half Ironman in March. We are on week 18 and after this weekend I have a long way to go.

I have learned a few things lately though.

I need to get a YMCA or gym membership so I can workout at night. I'm usually anti fitness center b/c I like to be outside but it is too dark in the morning and evening to do anything. A new YMCA opened up about 2 miles from my house so I think I will go there.
I think I need to get my act/Sh$T together! Since time is a factor for me I will have to be as efficient as possible in my training. Understanding bike cadence and Heart Rate will make things so much better.
Nutrition - I'm eating everything in sight. I always seem to think that a big workout or race gives me the green light to eat ALL WEEKEND long. I'm going to log my food starting now. I know 20 pounds will greatly help me before the Half Ironman.
After 2 weeks on my plan it is obvious that my "planned to actual" workout times are not good. I need to come up with a better training system.
I can't do all these little races in 2010. Heck, I've been doing a race almost every weekend this month. I am realizing that the races take away from my long training days. I want to be more selective in 2010. I want to have fun but balance it with good solid races that help my training.

I'm ready to let the training and the research begin. I want to successfully complete this Half Ironman without hurting myself.

Ironman AZ - 2010

2009-11-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

We did it!! Peter and I just signed up for the Ironman Arizona in 2010. The picture above is me standing in line to register. I can't believe it! This is going to be an interesting year. When I get home tonight I will post the photo of the two of us at on-site registration. Wish us luck.

El Tour De Tucson - 66 miles of Fun??

2009-11-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

El Tour De Tucson - 66 miles of fun?

Yesterday was the El Tour De Tucson. It was my very first bike race. I had no idea what to expect. The best part about it was that my husband rode with me and I had my two tri buddies with me. Their were about 2000 people at the 66 mile start. Their was also a 100 mile distance, an 80 mile distance and a 35 mile ride. I was so impressed with the Tucson police officers. They had traffic controlled all they way around the city. I was more worried about the other riders then I was the vehicles!

We started out very strong. We weaved in and out of bikers and had a good pace. The weirdest part was that about 5 miles into the race we had to get off our bikes and walk them trough a wash. The walk about about 3/4 to half a mile! It was crazy. I don't know how that factored into our times. Oh well. My tribuddies pulled away around mile 10 or 12. They did great.

Ron and I were doing well and he even commented that he could tell how much stronger i was getting on the bike as we tackled several hills. Unfortunately, I totally HIT THE WALL at around mile 44. From 44-56 I was DONE! My lady parts hurt and I was so tired. It didn't help that we hit some rough roads during this time.

We ended up around 5:03. It was much slower then I had hoped but I'm happy to say I completed a 66 mile ride. This time includes a stop for Ron to put his chain back on, a stop to fix a break problem, a big water food stop at mile 30, and 3 Kate's got to get off this damn bike and stretch stops. I think my mind started messing with me after my usual 40 mile distance.

Lessons Learned:

I need more time in the saddle. My one long ride a week isn't going to cut it for my HIM.
I need a woman friendly bike seat and a new pair of bike shorts.
I should really scope out the course and plan my nutrition stops before the race.
I HAVE to do another bike race. Love them.

'09 California 70.3 Race Report

2009-11-19T19:34:00.001-08:00

I found this California Half Ironman race report from a guy who did the race last year. It shows you some pictures and give some details from the course. I've got to get my training together!!

http://dcrainmaker.blogspot.com/2008/03/oceanside-703-race-report-aka-there-be.html

D-F-L Finish - Part II

2009-11-16T21:36:00.001-08:00

So my splash and dash race results were finally posted. Guess what?? I was so F'ING LAST that they didn't even give me a time! I paid $40 and didn't get a time! LAME! They quit timing people at 1:02:00. I figure I was probably around 1:20:00 based on Suzanne's time.

Wetsuit Hickeys and Panty Lines

2009-11-15T16:46:00.000-08:00

This Saturday's Splash & Dash was not easy. 2000m in the 66 degree Tempe Town "Lake" at 730 am in the rain (yes, rain) and cold (also true) was not easy. We earned our pancakes for sure.

After the last Splash & Dash I decided I needed a different wetsuit, like one that actually fit me and wasn't so long that I had to roll up the legs and without so much velcro down the back that I had to seriously consider running the "dash" in the thing. The lovely folks at Tribe Multisport helped me out on Friday and I found one to rent for the weekend that fits like a dream. But just like in any new relationship, I was thrilled and blind with love at first try-on. I didn't realize that my dream wetsuit had flaws. First, you can totally see my tri shorts through the thing. Peter said, "oh, panty lines." Yes. Attractive. And secondly, though not quite abusive, things got a bit rough when I wasn't prepared. At about 1500m my lower back was hurting bad (wetsuits are buoyant, unlike me, and so wearing one makes me arch my back more than I normally do when swimming. Over a distance, this is not comfortable.) and my neck was stinging. Sure enough, hickeys. One giant one on each side of my neck. Both Kate and Peter refused to believe that they're actually from a wetsuit because I announced their presence without having looking in a mirror first. I'm psychic is what it comes down to.

Anyway, I run out of the lake and manage to get out of the wetsuit in no time flat, put on my running shoes (without the very random piece of still wrapped gum in one of them that was a problem last time) and dash. The run was uneventful -- my Asics shoes and I have been together nearly 400 miles now, so we're now comfortable with each other. No surprises. It's good.

I finished 7th overall in the race, which was pretty cool, and only one person in my 25-29 age group women beat me. She won't next time! And yes, I did cheer for Kate during the last bit of her swim where she looked super confident and strong.

Today's 10 mile Iron Girl race went pretty well, too! It was really cold out there along the lake (we did 2 loops around Tempe Town Lake) but the cute tshirts make up for it. And my trusty Asics were there to support me, just like always. They're okay with the wetsuit being a part of my life -- the shoes, the wetsuit and the bike have come to an understanding with one another that they serve very different needs and are all equally important. No one is jealous, at least that I know about.

So there you have it! This next weekend is my first ever bike race, the Tour de Tuscon, on Saturday morning. I did a little math and the 66 miles equals roughly 6 pancakes, two cups of coffee, a banana and a cookie.

Good News or Bad News First?

2009-11-14T10:24:00.000-08:00

Do you want the good news or Bad news first? I'll start with Bad news.

Today was my last splash n dash. It was a 2000m swim and a 3k run. I was LAZY this morning and didn't want to get out of bed. I actually tried not to go to the race by hitting snooze on my alarm, but I felt too guilty. I knew it was the last Open Water Swim of the season so I had to suck it up.

I got to the race in the nick of time. I had time to register, get my wetsuit on and get down to the water. Suzanne and Peter were already dressed and ready. Of course all of the superfit tri god/goddesses were at the event. I imagine they were preparing for the Ironman Arizona that is taking place next Sunday.

I swam and I finished D-F-L! (Dead F*$&'ing Last!) I was so last that they started hualing in the Buoys in before I finished. I was so dead f'ing last that my cute little tribuddy Suzanne finished her swim and run and had time to root me on the last 100m of my swim. I finished SOO VERY last that they race company gave me 2 consolation prizes! That was crazy.

The Good news? I did it!! I swam 2000m in open water and didn't freak out or flip to my back or have a panic attack. I was slow but I was steady. I really did it!! I swam the distance of our Half Ironman!! This was s huge mental hurdle for me.

It was a LONG swim. I knew it would be tough for me. The longest I had ever swam was 1600m and that was some time ago. I'm pretty stoked about today's accomplishments. This was good for my head. Now that I know I can do the distance it is just a matter of improving on my time.

Next weekend I tackle the bike distance . . . BRING IT ON!!

To bike or write?

2009-11-13T07:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had a dilemma: work on a take home midterm (I'm saving my opinion on midterms given out 2 weeks before the end of the semester for another posting . . .) that's due next Tuesday but should be done by tonight (Friday) in the interest of not failing other classes or go ride with Tribe?

I debated most of the day. I love riding with the Thursday night group! I've been doing that since the beginning of September. It's usually a huge group, nearly 70 people of all speeds and shapes and whatnot, and even though I often find myself towards the back of the pack, it's great fun. But this nagging midterm!

6:00 pm rolled around, which is the time I usually get ready to head up to the Tribe shop for the 7:10 pm ride, and I was of course sitting at my laptop typing out rules about whether Indian tribes have regulatory jurisdiction over non-Indian owned land within their reservation (sorry. Nerded out on you for a second there) when I realized I was fast on the road to stir-crazy town.

I threw my bike, flat front tire and all, in the car, hopped in and drove off to Tribe before I could talk myself out it.

The ride was totally worth a couple hours lost on my exam, especially after doing nothing physical but walking up a flight of stairs in the law school on Wednesday. Normally this ride is 2 x (almost) 10 mile loops, but last night I rode a little farther up in the pack with a group a little faster than I'm used to. Not only did I manage to keep up really well and even pull the pace line for a few miles at 22 mph (!) but also eeked out a third lap. We didn't have a reason not to keep going, really, and no, I didn't want to come home right away and type type type.

So the ride was great! And like always, I was able to focus so much better once I did get back to my exam.

Suzanne's first post

2009-11-09T21:45:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to note that I'm so proud of Suzanne's first post. (See two below) Not only is she the best triathlete of our group, she is also the best blogger, and the best swimmer, and the youngest, . . . OK, and the cutest too!! DAMN HER!!

Blue Water Triathlon - Kate's race report

2009-11-09T20:51:00.000-08:00

Blue Water Triathlon
2009-11-08
Parker, Arizona
United States
Mountain Man Events
75F / 24CSunny

Triathlon - Long Course
Total Time = 3h 51m 39s
Overall Rank = 44/51
Age Group = W 35-39
Age Group Rank = 5/7

Pre-race routine: We packed up the family and drove 3.5 hours to Parker, Arizona. It was nice to have a family adventure. We ended up getting to the race site in time for packet pick up and the pre-race meeting. After the meeting we drove the race course (more hills than I expected) and settled into the hotel.

We connected with our friend Kyle (who will do the Half Ironman with us in March). This was his first full race. He did one and got 3 flats on during the race and called it day. Then he did a Half Ironman relay. He was the bike portion. Kyle was more than ready to get a race under his belt. We had a nice dinner and then went to our rooms.

I was very anxious b/c the course was so long. It was my longest race of the season - a 1k Swim, a 33 mile bike, and a 5 mile run. This was also my first race this season without Peter! I was a little out of sorts.

I woke up at 6:00 and got to the transition around 6:15. Our room was in a great location. We looked right onto transition and the finish was only steps away. Perfect for my hubby and kids. I ate a bar and a banana and drank some water. I was looking for cofee but there was no free coffee available. LAME!! I left my money in the room and didn't want to go back in and wake the family. I met up with Kyle and we hung out until his start. We were both anxious.

Swim Comments: I'm very happy with my swim. It felt good. I wasn't fast but I was steady and consistant. I did much better on my sighting as well. I even passed a few ladies. One freaky part was that the water was so clear you could see everything. When you got near the shore you could see all the weeds right below your head. It was scary. I thought I would see a hand come out and get me or a body like in a horror movie. SCARY!! Overall, it was actually the best I've ever felt during a swim. I'll take it.

What would you do differently?: Swim faster.

Transition 1 Comments: Again, no chip timing for this race and no transitions times. I think my first transition was pretty good. The wetsuit came off pretty easily and I had plenty of space for my stuff. My only problem was with my bike shoe. I couldn't get the insole to lay correctly so I ended up taking it out and riding without one.

Bike Comments: I felt ok on the bike but think I could do much better with more practice. I didn't have the gearing issues I had last week. I only passed one person. I need more hill work and more time in the saddle. My back started hurting around mile 20. Suzanne said I need to strengthen my core and gave me some exercise ideas. Hopefully that will help me.

Transition 2 Comments: Just an OK transition. Coming into transition 2 my 4 year old son said "Mom, you are a slow poke!!" True son. Very true.

Run Comments: I had no legs left after the bike. I was tired out. I had to start walk/running around mile 3. It was interesting that the run was my highest ranked part! Oh well.

What would you do differently?: Run the whole race.

Post race Warm down: No warm down. I rushed to my room to take a quick shower and head home.

What limited your ability to perform faster: WEIGHT!! I need to drop at least 20 before the California 70.3. I'm down about 14 since I started this training but I have a long way to go. I need to work on my food intake.

Event comments: No athena division and no trophy this race. That is ok though. I enjoyed this race. Small but well done. It was extra special having my husband and kids rooting me on at the transition. I would do definitely do it again.

2009-11-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

Hey! I've been remiss on my posting so to get started, check this out. It's actually an assignment I did for one of my classes but it's basically why I love the tri. It's also a bit wordy so I'll save more info about me for a later post.

“Nothing but strength,” I hear in my head. It’s my spin teacher’s voice, and he is louder than just about anyone else I know. He doesn’t even use the microphone in the room, but he is just a couple decibels below deafening. “Too easy!” he yells, terrifying and encouraging at the same time. But this time I’m not in the crowded classroom with a techno version of Mortal Kombat on the stereo. This time it’s real.
It’s nearing 7:30 on a Sunday morning in late September and it’s hot outside. My hair is dry already. Supposed to hit 109 degrees by mid-afternoon and it’s one of those days I have to think long and hard about why I moved here from Portland. It’s one of those days when I think about boots and jeans and a wool sweater, a hot pumpkin spice latte and an umbrella. But instead of drinking the cozy coffee I pedal just a little faster, push pull push pull. It’s a damn good thing I love this.
“This” is my triathlon fever. This keeps me sane. This lets me eat a cookie without feeling guilty. This gives me a reason to swim outside and keep my tan, slathered in sunscreen, of course. This gives me time to think, to draft papers in my head, to ponder UCC Article 2-207 without accidentally highlighting my hand. This is my productive procrastination.
The headwind hits me hard as I come around the corner. Three riders fly past me.
“Nothing but strength, nothing but strength.”
And I see the end of the course, so I settle into my drop bars and pull up with my hamstrings because next is the run. “Save the quads,” I tell myself. “Now go. Go. GO!” Off the bike, through transition and out the other side in my beloved Asics.
The three riders who passed me aren’t too far ahead now. It’s only a 5k so I have to pick up the pace to pass them. I give them a name – the Lizards, because of their green and black Landis Tri Club suits – and decide that by the next water station I’ll be ahead again. And I am. I love passing people.
“Suzanne Trujillo!” I pour on the last smidge of speed I have left and sprint the final 100 yards to the finish line as the announcer yells out my name. One thing I love about this place: people can pronounce my last name.
I grew up in a swimming pool. I started lessons at age two, swim team at six and by high school was swimming for both a club and the high school team. My club coach made us swim for our high schools even though no one wanted to. But it was that or the threat of thousands of pushups, so we dutifully anchored the relays and cheered for our fellow Gophers, Bruins, Raiders, Eagles. I was in a pool close to 30 hours a week, and I loved it. It gave me time to put my head down and go, to think, to write my papers, and to feel at home among my chlorine-soaked friends.
After knee surgery my junior year, burnout started to set in. Most of my friends graduated and went away, and it just wasn’t fun anymore. I was good, but not full-ride-to-a-Division-1-school good. After I quit swimming my senior year, I didn’t get back into a pool for anything but floating for nearly six years. So crew at University of Oregon took the place of swimming, and our coach made us run. A lot. Even the second surgery to the same knee didn’t stop me. In Track Town USA, I ran and ran and ran. Just like swimming, it was my time to think, to write my papers, to be part of a group. Kept the beer calories in check as an added bonus.
On the first day of law school when I was terrified of the decision I made to be here, when I wanted to just go home to normal temperatures, and when my classmates were complaining of Contracts nightmares, I ran. I was two of four months into my marathon training. Law school helped me remember the power of mind-numbing monotonous workouts; one foot in front of the other is a great stress outlet, a tool for time management, an escape from the library and the contagious anxiety.
“If I can run, then I can sleep. If I can sleep, then I can study. And if I can study, then I can be a lawyer. A good lawyer. So run.”
My first triathlon was second semester of 1L year. I didn’t even have my own bike, and the pre-race nerves were the same as the pre-final exam nerves. But for me, they’re a sign I’m ready. I’ve prepared enough to know what I’m in for. So I swam. I jumped on my borrowed and ill-fitting bike and flew, partly to beat people and partly because the bike was so uncomfortable. Then the run. Like a final exam, it requires strategy, time management, even proper nutrition – too much coffee right before is a mistake, but not enough is just as bad.
“Suzanne Trujillo!” yelled the announcer as I flew over the finish line. And I was hooked. Even though I was so nervous I nearly got sick, I loved it. I also resolved to buy a bike.
My decision to become a lawyer is as close to set in stone as things can ever be. Triathlon does not reinforce or threaten that decision. It enables the decision. It helps me manage the stress of classes, of exams, of the job search. It continually makes me more efficient, more conscientious, and it usually makes me hungry. It gives me purpose at the gym – I want that Ironman tattoo, probably on my shoulder. And it doesn’t hurt to know that if all else fails, I could go pro.

Amica Championship - Kate's Race Report

2009-11-05T21:54:00.001-08:00

[Photo: Peter and Kate after the Lake Pleasant Triathlon. Behind us is the lake where we did our swim. We are standing in front of the boat ramp. The ramp is the steep road we have to walk/run up to get to the transition. It seemed very long!]

Amica Championship

2009-11-01

Phoenix, Arizona

United States Amica

75F / 24C Sunny

Triathlon - Sprint

Total Time = 2h 18m 46s

Overall Female Rank = 39/62 (I wasn't ranked overall. I ranked myself based on where my time fit with the others.)

Group = Athena

Group Rank = 1/4

(An Athena racer is a woman who weighs 160 and above. I call it the "big girl category" but my husband doesn't like that. The male version is a Clydesdale and that is 200 pounds and above. When i signed up for this race I could have raced in my age group or weight group. I chose weight b/c I thought that is where I belong for now. I am so big I can't really compete with those women. For now . . .! It is interesting that a lot of big women don't race in the Athena division. I think they don't want to admit they weigh over 160!)

Pre-race routine: I was not feeling fresh and ready for this race. The night before was Halloween so I ate poorly and had a couple glasses of wine. I had also come off two days of pretty hard exercise. This was not ideal. This race was not originally on my calendar but my bro-in-law wanted to do it b/c he can't do this week's race. I decided at the last minute to go for but I should have thought out my training schedule better. I did go to bed early and try to hydrate myself. I got up at 5:00 and was out the door by 5:30. Got some coffee and oatmeal and headed up north. I was a little frustrated that I wasn't more prepared. I should have mapped the event instead of relying on their directions. If I had I could have taken a more direct route and got there a little earlier. When I arrived at the race I had to walk a ways with my bike and equipment. I felt rushed b/c I decided to get my stuff race morning. When I got to the table I realized I forgot my temporary triathlon card so I had to buy a new one. Bummer. Once I got my stuff I had to scramble to get my stuff together. I was pretty focused though and the ladies near me were very nice. No real attitudes like you get at some races from neighboring racers. I didn't see my bro-in-law until I had cleared transition with my wetsuit. I was suprised to see the race was so small. I think there were only like 300 racers. 62 in the women category and 4 athenas. I was also shocked there were not chips at a championship event.

Swim Comments: Swim is always a crazy time for me. I was calmer than I had been a other races b/c I had just had a successful splash n dash. This water was much more clear and I had a lot of visibility under the water. I did well going to the first buoy and actually felt myself passing people. My heart rate went up and I felt like flipping to my back but I kept on going. I rounded the first buoy in good shape. i ran into trouble with the second buoy. I got into a groove and kept swimming. I lifeguard redirected me b/c I was swimming into the center of the triangle. That flustered me a little and I over corrected. My sighting obviously needs some work. I think I zigzagged the whole way to the next buoy. I started to get frustrated but I tried to pretend it was just practice. When I rounded the second buoy it was easier to sight b/c of the shore line. I finished and i knew I didn't do great but I also knew I wasn't the last one out of the water. I was ok. My swim is a work in progress. The Positives are that I didn't freak out (and I knew I was on the verge of it) and I kept in a rhythm.

What would you do differently?: A few things: (1) I really need to figure out my sighting issues. Probably every 3 to instead of every 10 strokes. (2) I also need to keep practicing my OWS. I think I just need more confidence in the water. (3) I need to practice being ok with contact in the water. I don't like it! I notice I don't know what to do when I get hit.

Transition #1 Comments: No chip timing so my swim time included the transition. After we got out of the water we had to go up a very long and very steep boat ramp and get out of my wetsuit. I did manage to get it half way down on my way up the boat ramp. I did pass a couple other swimmers in transition.

What would you do differently?: I would have ran up the ramp instead of walk. I would of had some gu with me. Forgot that.

Bike Comments: Tough bike course but I'm happy with my performance. It was two laps of a hilly course and I had to work it. I'm slow going up and fast going down. I had some trouble shifting from my little climbing ring to my big ring. Towards the end of my ride I had to balance my body on the handles and try to shift using both hands! Crazy. I felt like I was able to make up some time in this area.

What would you do differently?: I need to really work on my hills and Lose some weight!

Transition #2 Comments: I felt ok with this. One of my neighbors had a bucket so I sat on that to put my shoes on. I thought is went ok. I needed some nutrition at this point. I can't forget food again!

Run Comments: My time is very slow compared to my usual runs. I ended up walking all the steep hills and jogging the flats and downhills. My legs were hurtin' from the bike hills so I figured what the heck. Looking back now, i wish I would have pushed it more and run up the hills.

Post race Warm down: I ran to the finish line and Peter was there cheering me on! He probably finish about 20 minutes before me. When I crossed the line I walked to the food. I sat and chatted with some folks. I liked the atmosphere and was anxious to see who won the Athena division. There were many more "Athenas" looking racers than I had seen at past races. After seeing there were only 4 Athenas in my division it is clear many of them chose to race in Age Division. The announcer started calling winners and I was shocked when he called my name as a winner. I started laughing b/c I couldn't believe it. I have to admit, I really dug it! I got a cool trophy and people were excited for me. I think it was the pick me up I needed going into our 20 week mark before our Half Ironman.

What limited your ability to perform faster?: I had 3 major issues: (1) My weight, (2) gear issue, and (3) swim sighting. I also should have taken it a little easier before the race. I was logging some serious activity before the race. Not the smartest.

Event comments: I enjoyed this triathlon a lot. Post race food good! The awards were nice. The trophy was a wooden cactus. Cute. The MC was great. Nice techincal shirt & water bottle for signing up.

I have another race this weekend. I'm headed to parker Arizona with Ron and the kids. Wish me luck!!

Peter's swim counter

2009-11-05T21:24:00.001-08:00

This is the swim lap counter. You where it on your pointer finger like a ring and hit it with your thumb for each lap. I have one to and I agree it is awesome! Peter's swim is awesome right now. He has improved so much since his first lesson this summer. He ROCKS!

Lap Counter and Lake Pleasant Tri

2009-11-05T19:09:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to blog about how much I love my lap counter but have been too too lazy. So I'll say it now and say it proud. I love my swim lap counter. It is awesome and I highly recommend it. I think a large part of the reason is that I lose count after 10 laps or so. Now I can just focus on my stroke, rather than repeating over and over the lap that I am on in my head while I am swimming. As you can imagine, that gets pretty boring. Now with the fancy new lap counter (that I have been using for over a month) I can just focus on stroke and actually relax while swimming. Other super cool functionalities - it give me my average lap time, total time, fastest lap and slowest lap. Very cool.

Kate - I am guilting you to actually post a pic of the lap counter as I am technologically impaired.

Other good news - Kate and I rocked the splash and dash last Friday.

Even better news - Kate and I head banged (that is, we really rocked it) the Lake Pleasant Tri on Sunday. The swim was great. Water was clear and warm. I focused upon my sighting by trying to sight as little as possible. Instead I was able to follow the bubbles of people in front of me. Good thing I started at the back of the pack. It also makes a difference when you actually have more than 6 inches of visibility. The bike portion was tough. Lots of hill work. Run was tough also. It was an out and back with the "out" being all uphill. Whew! And I won't even get started on all the bees at the finish area.

And the best news! - Kate took home a fancy new trophy! Woo hoo! First Place!

What a difference a week makes!

2009-10-30T22:44:00.000-07:00

The picture to my left is a photo of Tempe Town Lake. This lake is not my friend. My first time in it I swam the wrong direction while backstroking. The second time I was in the lake I doubled my pool time for the same distance. The third time in the lake I had a panic attack and tried to quit. Today was going to be different.

Kate's 2nd Splash N Dash . . . .

I started the day feeling much more confident. Last night's practice swim in the new wet suit felt good. I have a full sleeve "19" wetsuit. I think it gave me a little confidence boost. It also helped that it was a 750m swim v. the 1000m swim I was expecting. I had a very busy work day so I didn't have time to obsess about the race.

At 4:00 I packed up and went down to the race. It was a cold day for Arizona. Maybe 65 or 67? Usually when it hits 70 degrees here we all have our sweaters on. So this type of weather was not idea. I couldn't imagine what the water tempature was going to be.

Peter got to the race before me. He was only 1 of about 30 people! We were still a little early so maybe others would be coming. The race organizers talked about how the weather might be keeping people away today. By the time we were to start the race, we had 52 people participating. Unheard in Arizona to have race that small but I dug it! It turns out that it was a no chip race this time. They were going by our bib numbers. This should be interesting!

I looked at the water and got a huge pit in my tummy. The buoys were so far apart!! How could that be 750m? It looks like WAY more than that. It was again a triangle format. I can't believe how far they are! I had to stop looking b/c I could feel my heart rate going up.

As we started to get our wetsuits on an older lady befriended us. She was CHATTY! Turns out she has done ironman races and does about 15 marathons a year. She talked about how she was the last on across the finish line in IMAZ. She didn't care one bit! It was all about the finish for her. I was so impressed with her attitude. It turns out she is a slow swimmer too who is doing the same race I am doing on Sunday. I think her chatting helped me get through my prerace jitters. She didn't stop! It was cute though. I think she was happy to be with some folks.

Soon it was race time and we were to get into the water. It was cold!! I recognized some faces from last week and made some small talk with some folks while we were getting used to the water. A few of us self described slow people talked about where to go and when to start. So far so good. No panic yet.

The next thing I knew the horn blew. Deep breath . . . Here I go. For a brief moment I flet a little uneasy. Not getting into the flow but that soon passed. I tried to get a little chant going in my head. "1, 2, 3 . . . Breathe! 1, 2, 3 . . . Breathe!" I decided I would try to sight about every 10 strokes. I realized that I wasn't freaking out! I am doing this! I take my first sight and put my head right back in the water and didn't skip a beat. Hey, I just passed a guy! "1,2,3 . . breathe!"
The next thing I know I am at the first buoy! How did that happen? I am doing this!! As I am going I see some folks floating on their backs. I haven't had to flip over yet. Hooray! As I am swimming I realize the longer I keep stroking the faster I will get done.

As i reach the final stretch I got pretty emotional again. This week I'm emotional for a different reason. I totally concurred my fear! I didn't give up and worked to get over my issue. Pretty cool. As I started to walk up the boat dock and man was right behind me. He asked the race official "Are we the last ones out?" AND the race dude said "NO!" I can't believe it!

I quickly went to the transition and got my shoes on. The the running begin! I was about a mile into the run when I saw Peter coming the opposite way (We had to do two loops) He said "YOU DID IT!" It must have been obvious b/c he was still on his first lap.

I was on cloud nine. I knew I was still back of the pack but I was SO OK with that! When I finished Peter told me that I was only a couple of minutes behind him!! He thinks I really cut a ton of time of my swim!

Here are the results.

Today: 750m swim and a 4k in 43:46
Last week: 500m swim and a 4k in 45:52

I was trying to calculate the numbers. I don't know how this time can be possible though. It is pretty darn good if you consider the time includes the swim, transition of getting my wetsuit off, AND a 2.5 mile run! What ever. I'm not going to over think it. I'll take it.

I drove home with a new attitude. I can do this! This is a whole new ball game now! I can do this! Now that I know I can do the swim, I can start thinking about how to become faster and stronger v. thinking about surviving the swim.

What a difference a week makes!

Our Weekend Ride - "Eric & the Skins"

2009-10-26T22:32:00.000-07:00

My friend Eric does weekend up recaps of our rides. He is so great at them! I am posting here but not taking credit for his work.

I will add a couple things. (1) It was truly 'Eric and the Skins'. We had two Navajos (Ron and Derrick), a Comanche (me), a Laguna (Suzanne), and a Stockbridge Munsey (Jake). (2) It was a beautiful ride and I was so excited b/c the last time we did this ride we saw a Coyote and a Roadrunner. Unfortunately, I did see the coyote again. It was dead on the side of the road. Sad. (3) Derrick really did kick butt on this ride. When Ron and I first started there is no way we could have handled two loops. Derrick did it! He is going to be up to speed in no time.

"Eric & the Skins"
Today at 12:48pm

While riding with the usual weekend group yesterday, I rode alongside Kate for a while and we chatted a bit. She told me she was calling our ride that day 'Eric & the Skins'. I nearly crashed when I heard this name because of how funny it struck me. Turns out the entire group, other than me, were Native Americans. I received permission to use the name. I thought it was pretty catchy.

Yesterdays ride took us around the Usery Pass loop twice again. I hadn't ridden with the group in a few weeks and figured that my first ride back would be this one. This is by far our hardest ride. Lots of hill work, but very scenic. For a little extra torture, I threw in the Las Sendas mountain loop as well. Normally, this ride wouldn't kick my ass as much as it did yesterday. Saturday night, I went out with some friends to watch the UFC fights and had a couple beers. No big deal except that is was a couple more that I normal have the night before our rides. The first half of the ride, I was really feeling sluggish.

We had a couple new participants this weekend. Derrick, who is a 3rd year law student and Jake who is a 1st year. Derrick had just gotten his bike the day before and probably hadn't had time to have it fitted properly. He hunk in there and rode the whole ride. Once he gets his bike fitted to him, he's going to kick butt! Speaking of kicking butt, there's Jake (aka Kid Rocket). This "kid" is built like a cyclist; tall, thin, & lean. I rode with Jake for a while and talked to him and all of a sudden, he was gone. He started pulling away from me and I don't think I ever caught him except when he stopped for me. Oh sure, I could make all kinds of excuses; the beers, the age difference, the bike, this kid is just fast. I felt like I spent the first half of the ride "chasing the rocket".

Once we reached the 1/2 way mark and headed back out, I decided I was going to do my best to keep pace with him. We started up Usery (the easier side) and I suddenly felt pretty good. I cranked! I pulled away from the group and saw Jake trying to catch me (for a change). I told myself that I'd be OK if he didn't catch me until the top. After the top of the hill and as we started the long descent, he caught me. I felt good knowing that I was able to hold him off as long as I did. Once we got to the bottom of the hill we rode together again for a while. Next up came the biggest, steepest hill of the ride (I call it King Kong). Suddenly, the rocket takes off again. WTF? Wasn't this the same kid who was saying after we came down that hill that he'd probably be walking up it? He absolutely flew up this hill. I wish I could hate him for it, but he's a pretty nice guy and that wouldn't be right.

We all finished the ride separately but within minutes of each other. Kate & Ron hung back with Derrick which was cool of them. Suzanne, Jake, & I pulled away from them on the return Usery climb. Since Jake was so far in front of me, he missed the turn to go up Las Sendas but still made the climb once he turned around.

It seems that I have inadvertently recruited Kate & Ron to join me on my century ride. Kate mentioned it while we chatted. It would be great to have some company! I think we are shooting for December sometime. Hopefully before the end of the year!

All in all, a great day to ride. A little chilly to start, but ended with perfect weather. The rest of the day I spent with the kids and massaging my legs from trying to catch "Kid Rocket".

I have Open Water Swim Panic!

2009-10-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

The photo above was taken after the Splash n Dash. Suzanne and Peter did great and I floundered. Let me tell you my story.

I'm scared of the open water swim but I want to get better. Thursday we had a race where we had 500m swim and a 2.5 mile run. I was SOOO nervous. Not only did I have to swim in Tempe Town Lake but it was also going to be my first swim in a wet suit. My fears started to escalate the night before the race when I tried the wet suit on. It fit better than it did when I first got it but it was still a size or two too tight. My husband said "it will look great when you lose about 20 more pounds". Whatever. Mom said, "are you really going to wear that tomorrow?" Whatever again.

I was extra nervous on Race day - should I even wear the wetsuit? I never knew I so vain until these damn triathlons. I spoke to my tri buddies (Peter and Suzanne) they both encouraged me to wear it just to test it out. They were very supportive. If I try to wear it, at least I will know how it feels to float. This was my first Splash n Dash. You could do a 500 or 1000m swim. We got signed up and were stunned by the crowd. There were only about 150 people. The last race we did there were about 1500 people of all shapes and sizes. The 150 people doing the Splash n Dash were all "super duper fit". They all must have been training for the SOMA HIM or the IM-AZ. I think there was only 1 woman heavier than me and I only saw 1 man with a beer belly. INTIMIDATING! These people had the type of bodies where they walk around in their speedos or their tri bikinis. The Suzanne said "I hope I look like that when I am 40! I've got 15 more years to get there!" Yes, I am training with a 25 year old.

I decided I was going to power through though and do this. Who cares what anyone thinks. At least I am trying. I got my wetsuit on easier than I thought I would. It was ok. The 1000m people went first and we took off about 3 minutes later. (I knew one person in the 1000m group.) There were only 13 of us doing the 500. When I got in the water I was stoked. I didn't even have to tread! The suit floated for me. I was very optimistic. I could really float! I wasn't going to sink!! HOORAY!

So our 500m horn went off and I took of swimming like a champ. My swim coach was right! I can do this! Mind over matter. I had my head in the water breathing ever 3rd stroke. I realized that when I actually do my stroke correctly I can cover a lot of ground! Then it happened . . . I looked up to sight and freaked. I started to lose my breath. I flipped to my back and tried to get my heart rate down. I back stroked then rolled to my front again. Can't seem to get my groove back. Oh no! It was a triangle bouy set up. 1000m folks did 2 laps and we did 1 lap. In the middle of the first and second bouy, I called the lifeguard boat over and told him to pull me in. I was having a panic attack. I lost my breath and was freaked out. He said "do you really want me to take you back?" I said "Yep! I can't do this." I held onto the boat and tried to catch my breath but he couldn't go anywhere b/c there were swimmers going by. I then thought I had to keep going so I let go of his boat and took off again. Same thing all the way back. Stroke and covered a lot of ground and then flipped to my back. Stroked and covered ground and flipped to my back again. Awful!

I finally reached the finish line and got out. My friend from the 1000 got out the same time I did. (Yes, he lapped me.) At first I could tell he was proud that he lapped me but then he must have seen the defeated the look on my face. He tried to cheer me on and helped unzip my wetsuit. I got to the transition and told myself i was done. I quit. I'm not going to do the run. Then I thought, what am I going to tell my kids! I can't tell them I quit. So I got on my shoes and ran. Plus, I knew I had to get a couple more miles in for the pumpkins. I ran and I finished the race. Many of the 1000 m people passed me on teh run but they were superhuman triathlon people so I didn't care. I almost started crying about 3 times but sucked it up. My two tri buddies were waiting for me at the finish line. They were so cute. They tried to make me feel better but it didn't help much. Peter said I was in a "triathlon death spiral". They said it was all in my head and I just needed to keep at it. I know they are right.

On the way home I called my man. He tried to pump me up. He said he would take me to do more OWS and support me getting a swim coach. it was nice but I was too down to appreciate it. By the time I got home i had given myself a migrane. I put the kids to bed and then put myself to bed b/c my headache was so bad I couldn't see. I've only had 2 other migranes in my life - both when I was pregnant.

The cute thing is that Peter called this morning and said "guess what!? All 3 of us won our age groups!" (13 people remember) He also told me I wasn't last. I finished 12/13. I think I must have passed someone on the run.

So now I am dreading next Friday's 1000m Splash n Dash. (no 500m option this time) Peter and I are also doing a tri next Sunday. This wasn't on my radar but Peter wants to do it. It has and 750m OWS. The next week another tri with a 1000m OWS. I know the OWS practice is what I need but I'm just sick about it.

What am I going to do?! If I can't even swim a 500m how am I going to do my HIM swim??

Meet Suzanne!

2009-10-19T22:10:00.000-07:00

Meet Suzanne! She is also known as "The Swimmer", "The Mountain Goat", "The Law Student", "The Bad Ass"!

Peter and I have a couple of tri buddies who are also going tackle the California Half Ironman - Kyle, Suzanne, and Derrick. This is Suzanne. I have mentioned her to some of you in passing before. I think we called her the "goat" a few posts ago b/c she is so good at climbing hills on the bike. She is awesome at triathlons. She is so good I told her if the law thing doesn't work out she could probably b/c a professional triathlete. In our big Nathan's race, she finished 30 something out of 280 women. In a race yesterday she finished 3rd in her age group and got a medal! She is a bad ass. Suzanne is participating in many of the same races that Peter and I are doing for training. The next one on the list is a "splash N dash" in Tempe Town Lake this Thursday. Lucky for Suzanne, she can actually swim!

I'm going to add her as an author so you can hear from a "real" triathlete. Hopefully some of her SWIM POWER will rub off on me!

Race Hotel Booked - Now I need a training plan!

2009-10-11T23:59:00.000-07:00

HOTEL: This race is feeling more real everyday. Today I booked my Half Ironman race hotel. I am hoping it is really as convenient as I think it will be. It looks like it is about 1 mile to the swim starting line. My family will be able sleep in and get to see me possibly swim and run. I don't think they will be able to see the bike part. It feels awesome and scary as Hell to be getting closer and closer to race time.

TRAINING PLAN: The big date is NOVEMBER 9th. That is when we need to start our 20 week training program. It sounds like a long way away from the race but it is a big count down for me. I'm hoping to find a good training plan that will keep me from getting hurt and give me a solid foundation.

Kate's Back

2009-10-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't train for a while now. It has actually been a full month. For those of you who don't know, I've had two funerals, the flu and a sinus infection in September. I think I was physically and emotionally drained from the back to back deaths of my grandpa and my dad. During that time I had a very poor showing in the Open Water Swim portion of one race and I missed my San Diego race. (I'll tell you more about my swim some other time.)

Now I feel very behind on my training. I have to make up some ground very quickly. Peter and I will have to start our "official" 20 week training program in early November. I've rearranged my training schedule, found some new races and I think am ready to go. These are events that are paid for and quickly approaching:

Long course triathlon (11/8)
10 mile all girls run (11/15)
67 mile bike race (11/21)
Marathon in early January (26.2 miles)

This weekend was my first round of exercise since getting sick. I did a 30 mile bike ride with friends and completed a 4 mile run today. I think I'm ready to hit it hard again.

One quick weightloss note: I am down 14 pounds for the year. I feel great. My goal for October and November is to really concentrate on my food intake. I'd like to get another 10 pounds off before the big race.

Wish me luck!! I will need it.

Action shots!

2009-09-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

To get us motivated I put in some action shots of of me and Peter at our last triathlon!! This one had about 300 people participating. The one we are doing at the end of the month has about 1600 people!! SCARY!!

Slowly but Surely

2009-09-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

I am slowly getting back into it. I have been on travel out of state for 5 out of the last 7 days. I am sure that a more disciplined person would make sure to get their run/bike/swim in. I am not that person. To try to make up for some of that I ran 6 miles yesterday and swam 1200 meters today. Tomorrow through Sunday aren't looking too good because I will again be out of town 3 out of 4 days. Plan is to get out a bit Friday morning and get a run in either Saturday or Sunday, or both, when we are in D.C. visiting friends.

Swim tonight was good. The only downside was I ended up having to wait 20 minutes to get into the pool because of swim lessons and the masters swim group. Apparently they have most of the pools reserved from 6:15 until 7:30 or 8. I'll have to include that in my 'notes to self.'

I feel good but tired right now. Only 25 days to the Nathan's Tri!

September - Weight loss month!

2009-09-02T00:09:00.000-07:00

I have decided this month is weight loss month. If I really want to do this race I need to shed some pounds. With all this exercise you would think the weight would be falling off. It isn't. I am really going to concentrate on my diet and see what I come up with. My first action is to sign up for thedailyplate.com. This is a food tracker/calorie counting program. Hopefully it will help keep me under control.

A horse, a goat, a coyote and roadrunner

2009-09-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here is an overview of our weekend bike ride. Eric wrote this in his blog. (Ron and I decided he is as strong as a horse. He road up all those hills on a Mountain bike. He is tough!)

Our weekend ride group decided to tackle the Usery Pass loop this past weekend. You can check the route here if you like. The hills are not too shabby, a 1,660 ft climb/decent. We decided to go clockwise and atthe end of 18ish miles turn around and go back. In the group was Kate & Ron (this is Kate's idea) and a girl from Oregon named Suzanne (one of Katre's students).

We all started out together fairly strong (19-20mph), and then a big down hill (hit 39.7mph). Cool! I decided to ride my mountain bike since it has gears and my road bike doesn't. I planned to put the slicks on so I could hang with the road bikes, but Saturday when I grabbel the wheel, it had no tube. Bummer. I would have to work that much harder to hang in with them. On the first hill, I started to put a little distance between me and the pack. It wasn't long before Ron caught me.

Next hill, 4-1/2% grade for a couple miles, no biggie. We started out and Suzanne's bike decided that it liked the big chain ring better than the small. That wasn't going to work. We all stopped to get this fixed and were back on our way. We made it to the top and down the hill to our turn around/starting point. What I found interesting about the return climb is that Suzanne flew up this hill. I swear she's part mountain goat!

I didn't realize how long that big hill was until we went screaming down it (32mph max) for over 3 miles. We crouched down as to get better aerodynamics and more speed. I was crouched so long that my back started cramping. The hill that I hit 39mph coming down absolutely sucked going back up. In cycling, what goes down almost alway comes back up. We were 35 miles into the ride and it was in the upper 90's. Luckily we were near the end and could call it a successful ride. All in all, it was a great day to ride. Great group, great route, great work out.

One of the neatest parts of the ride was being out in the desert. During the ride we saw a coyote and a roadrunner. Beautiful. I think the bike rides are my favorite part of this training. We are already planning the next ride!!

Week 31 Report - Kate

2009-09-01T23:55:00.000-07:00

This week was much better! Not perfect but better. This is what I did. Remember that my goal each week is 2 runs, 2 bikes, and 3 swims.

Monday = Run, 3 miles
Tuesday = Swim, 1000 meters
Friday = Swim, 800 meters
Saturday = Run, 3 miles
Sunday = Bike, 38 miles of hills

Repeat after me!

2009-08-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

"Hello Milton, (Repeat after me) I dont have to Swim 2min/100yards or Bike at 21mph or Run 9min mile because all I have to do is to be the best triathlete I can be, because I good enough, Im smart enough, and dog gone-it people like me....." SNL

Getting Back up on the Horse

2009-08-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

I am getting back up on that horse. Ran 5K this morning and swam 1200m this evening. Right now I am feeling pretty good. We'll see if I can motivate again tomorrow morning. That is the plan anyways. Although I have a 7am conference call that may interfere with that plan. Who schedules a call at 7am? Seriously.

Two New Training Buddies!

2009-08-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

I know two more people who are joining us for the Half Ironman! Hooray! The first is a gal by the name of Suzanne. She is a kick ass swimmer, already road a 100 miler, already completed a marathon. She is going to sail through this race. Derrick is the other racer. He is a runner and rides a bike pretty regularly. He will be challenged by the swim and will have to get used to the road bike. I'm excited our group is growing!

Week 32 Report - Kate

2009-08-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

This was a sad little training week for me. My report is below. My reasons will be posted soon.

Monday = Run, 4 miles
Tuesday = Bike, 8 miles at 17 mph
Saturday = Run, 5 miles

Bratwurst, Beer & Funnelcakes

2009-08-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

This was a Bad week of training for me! (Looks like Peter had a rough week too.) I've been out of town since Thursday. I went to my 20 year high school reunion and my hometown Bratwurst festival. I'm scared to get on the scale after my weekend of brats, beer, and funnelcakes. I did complete the "brattie run" on Saturday. 5 miles! This is my longest run of this training season. Besides the run my week was pretty weak.

It is funny how gross you feel when you slow down your work outs. I feel sluggish and tired already. My 20 year reunion really makes me want to push it even harder. Some of my friends look fantastic! If they can keep it together I should be able to as well. I'm motivated to work hard this month for our next race!

How Not to Train

2009-08-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

I am feeling incredibly guilty. Since our long bike ride I have not swim, run or bike. Kate is a star! Plan number one - get in the pool tomorrow morning. Plan number two - stop listening to the incredibly persuasive lazy voice in my head. I've gotta get back on that horse and get ready for Nathan's. Only a month to go!

Weight Loss

2009-08-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I am doing the race is to lose weight. I have been overweight my whole life. I've seen my parents struggle with their weight as I grew up. I don't want the same for my kids. I want to be a healthy fit example for them. Right now about 30 pound overweight. Not good.

Since I started this process in March I've lost about 10 pounds. (Yes, I still have 30 pounds to go) I thought the weight would be falling off with all of the training I am doing but it isn't. Seems like I lose about a pound every other week. This training made me realize that my diet and metabolism are out of whack. I haven't figured out how to get them under control yet.

The cool thing is that my husband Ron has lost about 25 pounds. My activity level has been motivating him. He bought a road bike and has been riding with me. He has even been running a little too. I'm so proud of him.

This whole healthy living thing is a challenge. I'm going to start experimenting with different diets to figure out what works for my body. I also need to find a diet where i don't have to give up my red wine!

Week 33 Report - Kate

2009-08-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

Done with week 33. I consider this a bad week. I had a lot of "rest" days. My body felt really tired and I'm scared of getting hurt so I just walked. I think that is a good route for an old woman like me.

Here is my recap.

Monday: Walk - 2.5 miles in 30 minutes
Tuesday: Swim - 1100 meters in 45 minutes
Wednesday: Run - 3 miles in 32:31 minutes
Thursday: Swim - 1600 meters/1 mile in 47:00
Friday: Walk - 13.5 miles in 1 hour
Saturday: Bike - 38 miles on Pecos road in 2.5 hours
Sunday: Recover Day

Our "30 mile" bike ride

2009-08-15T23:22:00.000-07:00

So today was supposed to be a 30 mile ride. We miss calculated. It was actually 38.5. I made a mistake by looking at the mileage on my bike speedometer before we were done with the ride. When I saw we hit 30 and still had a long way to go I totally shut down. I was SOOO tired.

We rode down Pecos road and did two loops. The normal loop is about 13 miles. The first loop we added distance by starting further out and taking some additional hills. The second loop was the 13 miler. This ride is nice b/c it has a wide bike lane, few stop lights, little traffic and very scenic. There is something cool about being out in the Arizona desert at 5:30 a.m. working up a sweat that is very refreshing.

Each week I try to send out a large invite email to friends to try to get them to join us for the bike rides. I really want to peer pressure folks into doing races with me!! It usually works quite well. I have a lot of people thinking about doing races! I love it!! Today's ride was our largest group ride to date. We had 5 riders at the beginning and 6 at the end. We usually only have 3 during our normal rides - me, Ron and Peter.

Let me tell you about my riding pack. Five of us started the ride at 5:30 (wake up at 4:30). We were all excited to get in some good training. The sixth rider (the Pro - See below) started from his house 5 minutes after we left our meeting spot and 10 miles away from us and ended up catching us before we finished the first loop. He is fast like lightening!

It is interesting for me as a girl to ride with all of these guys. I like seeing all of their personalities come out. As a self-described people watcher, I really took note of who was with us today. It was pretty easy to "name" the boys. I described my fellow riders below.

The Gentleman Rider - Ron (my husband) - Ron always waits for me and doesn't leave me to race the other guys. It is too cute. He never wants me to feel alone at the end of the pack. I really like that he is always looking out for me.

The Rabbit - Peter (Brother-in-law/training buddy) - Peter is fast and likes to take off. He then circles back and takes off again. We usually end up chasing "the rabbit" the whole way.

The Pro - Gary (My friends husband) - He is a cyclist. He rides to be fast and loves bikes. We really slow him down and ask him a lot of questions. He knows it all and gives us lots of tips. (Ex. After our last 20 mile ride, he rode additional miles b/c we didn't push him enough)

The Social Guy - Kyle (Our friend who is thinking about doing the Half IronMan with us. He just needs to sign up) - He is the social rider. Kyle is the guy who makes sure he rides and chats with every single biker on the ride. Just cute. He is a fun addition.

The Cool/Unique Rider - Eric (My book club friend/neighbor's husband) - He is a strong rider like Gary. Eric is training for a 100 mile ride. What makes him cool/unique is that he rode a bike with only 1 gear. He is a minimalist! The crazy think is he kept right up with all of our multi-gear bikes. There are very few bikers who can do what he did today!

Then there is me. I think others would describe me as - The Girl. I am the only girl trying to keep up with the guys. I am really hoping other girls will start riding with me.

Although today's ride was tough, I'm so proud of myself for doing it! I can see myself improving everyday.

Our upcoming Races

2009-08-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

I have some races mapped out to get us to the half ironman. The goal is to do something about once a month to keep us moving. Here is what's on the calendar.

9/27 (Sunday) Nathan's triathlon in Tempe
http://redrockco.com/nathan-triathlonsprint
sprint distance (750m swim/ 12.4 mile bike/ 3.1 mile run) or
olympic distance (1500m swim/24.8 mile bike/ 6.2 mile run)
This is a big race in Tempe. Longer open water swim. 750m will be very challenging.
10/4 (Sunday) Mission Bay triathlon in San Diego http://www.kozenterprises.com/Triathlons/missiondf84.htm
sprint distance (500 open water swim in bay with a wetsuit/ 15k bike/ 5k run)
This is the Frank race. I want to support my friend in his first triathlon. I also want to try a short race in a bay with a wetsuit before the half ironman.
This race is SOLD OUT!
10/17 (Saturday) Powell3 in Page, AZ
http://www.powell3.com/
Olympic Distance - 1500 m open water swim/24 bike/ 6.2 run
(This also has a sprint distance 750/12/3.1)
I really need to do a long open water swim before the half ironman. This race will also require a wetsuit. This swim distance is pretty close to the half ironman swim distance.
11/21 (Saturday) Tour de Tucson in Tucson
http://www.perimeterbicycling.com/!ETT/ETThome.html
109, 80, 67 or 35 miles
Rosiers are riding 67 miles, Sanchez family is riding 30 miles with Frank pulling the kids behind him
11/26 (Thanksgiving) Goodyear triathlon http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1651810&assetId=41910ac6-2781-4225-bb18-42755ededede
Reverse sprint tri - 2 mile run/ 13 mile bike/ 400 m swim
Individual: $69 until 11/8/09; $79 thereafter
** This depends on if I can walk after 67 miles on the bike ride.
1/17 (Saturday) PF Chang's Full Marathon in Phoenix
http://www.rnraz.com/
26.2 mile run
3/6 (Saturday) Valley of the Sun Half Marathon http://www.valleyofthesunmarathon.com/
13.1 miles
3/27 (Saturday) California 70.3 Ford Half Ironman
http://www.ironmancalifornia.com/
1.2 mile swim/ 56 mile bike/ 13.1 mile run

Peter is considering adding the Pabst Blue Ribbon triathlon on October 10th. He is intrigued by the slip n slide finish. (Boys!)

Week 34 Report - Kate

2009-08-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

We just finished week 34. I'm pretty happy with how it went. I did something everyday. Here is my recap.

Monday: Swim - 1200 meters in 35 minutes
Tuesday: Run - 4 miles in 45:41
Wednesday: Swim - Swim Masters training 45 minutes
Thursday: 3 miles in 33:31
Friday: Swim - 1000 meters in 27:56
Saturday: Bike - 30 miles through Fountain Hills in 2 hours
Sunday: Run - 3 miles in 32:12

The highlight for me was the bike ride. It was beautiful out around Fort McDowell. It was a great work out too. The route had rolling hills the whole way and a couple decent climbs. I can tell I'm getting stronger on the bike. Thank goodness.

I am not a Master

2009-08-05T23:26:00.000-07:00

I was totally humbled today at my first Swim Masters workout. I thought I was really improving because I can swim 1000 meters without stopping. Today I learned I'm not as good as I thought I was. When I arrived my adrenaline level was sky high. It is much different swimming with a group of REAL swimmers.

Swim Masters work out results? I was a hot mess. (1) I couldn't keep up. (2) I lost count of laps. (3) I got passed several times in my "slow" lane. What a rough work out day.

At this point in time I am swimming 100 meters in about 2:30. I figure I will suffer more of this embarrassment so I can improve that time. It has to get better right?

Swim Masters

2009-08-04T23:54:00.001-07:00

I am a poor swimmer. I admit it.

I have been taking lessons for months now. Although I have improved my skills quite a bit I have a long way to go to be ready to swim 1.2 miles! I realized that I need spend a lot more time in the pool.

Today I bit the bullet and I signed up for a Swim Masters workout group. I can't believe I did it. Basically, I can choose between 3 or 4 workout times a day to train with a group of swimmers. (6:00 a.m., Noon, 6:00 pm., and 7:00 pm) All of these times are at pools less then a mile from my office. A coach will be walking along the side of the pool to yell out drills. I will have to try to complete the drills within a certain time frame. The coach will assign you a lane based on your level of swimming. I was told Lane 1 is the slow lane. I have a feeling that will be my home for a long time.

I'm hoping the coach will give me some feedback on my stroke and the drills will help improve my form. I'm really scared to do this, but I'm even more scared to drown during the Half Ironman so I need to suck it up! My first swim is tomorrow at Noon.

Info About Peter

2009-08-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

I thought that I would follow Kate’s good example and also start with some basics.

Name: Peter

Triathlon Training Name: I don’t yet have a triathlon training name. I am certainly open to suggestions though.

Age: 36

Height: I say 5'9”, although there has been some dispute about this. There is a possibility that I may fall into the 5’8” category.

Weight: Just shy of the Clydesdale mark.

Athletic background: In the last 8 or so years I have run a couple half marathons and a number of 10k and 5ks. Last month I completed my first sprint triathlon up in Chino Valley. The Good news on that one is that I did not finish last in age division.

Why the Half Ironman: Kate talked me into it. Actually it sounds like a fun goal. I like the idea of training for multiple sports simultaneously, rather than just training for a marathon. That being said, I am kind of excited about training for a marathon and doing my first marathon as training for the Half-Ironman.

Weakest leg of the triathlon: I am also weak in all three sports and, just like Kate, I am concerned about the swim. I re-started swim lessons in March of this year. That was kind of crazy because I hadn’t really swam since I was a kid. As of today, and based upon my time in the Chino Valley triathlon, my weakest leg is the bike.

Toughest Challenge: Consistently getting out there and exercising. Getting out there 2-3 days is not that bad. It is hard to get out there 4-5 days though.

Biggest Fan: Theresa Rosier (my wife).

What color is your bike helmet: Black.

Did you name your bike: “Strawberry Sizzler” in honor of my wife’s bike when she was a little girl.

What have you enjoyed most so far about training: Seeing myself really progress in my swimming technique and endurance. Very satisfying considering I couldn’t swim 25yds without stopping just 3 months ago.

What have you enjoyed the least about training: I haven’t gotten to that point yet. Probably because I am not training enough.

What is your Half Ironman goal: To finish.

Info about Kate

2009-08-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

OK. I thought I'd start this blog with the basics.

Name: Kate
Triathlon Training Name: I gave myself the name "Chocolate Thunder!" for training purposes. No one thinks this is a good name for me but I love it!!
Age: 38
Height: 5'11
Weight: Big enough to compete in the "Athena" division for races but not big enough to be a "Clydesdale" (look that up!)
Athletic background: I'm a former Division 3 college basketball player. I have run several half marathons and one full marathon. I've also done 4 sprint triathlons. Three of the four were done so Badly they shouldn't count. (Race 1) Got a flat tire in the bike but they let me finish without a time. (Race 2) During the open water swim I started to back stroke and turned myself around. I ended up going the wrong direction. The lifeguard had to boat out to me to let me know I was going the opposite direction. Embarrassing! (Race 3) I didn't train properly and it took 18 minutes in the pool for a 400 m swim. Embarrassing!
Why the Half Ironman: Why not? I love setting a goals for myself. I figure if I didn't do this I would just sit around and not exercise. I need to get fit and healthy for my family. I figure by doing the races I would have to exercise and eat better.
Weakest leg of the triathlon: I am weak in all three sports but I am most scared of the swim. I started adult swim lessons in January 2008. When I started I could only doggie paddle. After months of lessons, I can now swim 1000 yards without stopping.
Toughest Challenge: Losing weight so I can gain some speed. I've logged hours and hours of exercise and the weight is just now starting to come down a little. I know if I was about 20 pounds lighter I could do better.
Biggest Fan: Probably my daughter. She always thinks I am going to win the race no matter how many people are competing.
What color is your bike helmet: Bright Yellow so people see me coming.
Did you name your bike: Not yet. I'm trying to think of something witty but nothing is sticking.
What have you enjoyed most so far about training: Taking long bike rides with my husband Ron. It is like "date night" on wheels!
What have you enjoyed the least about training: Having my body not able to go as fast as I want it too!
What is your Half Ironman goal: I want to finish the triathlon and meet all of the cut off times. I'm afraid I might be too slow for the race.

Documenting our Journey

2009-07-29T22:59:00.000-07:00

This blog has been created to document our journey toward the Half Ironman in California. Peter and I are in-laws and always up for an adventure. (Peter is married to Ron's sister Theresa) Even though we have run a few half marathons both of us feel a little crazy for attempting this race since neither of us are strong swimmers.

This summer we have laid the ground work for success. We have started running, bought road bikes, taken swim lessons and tried a small triathlon. I think we are on the right track. Over the next 34.5 weeks we will document our training, our set backs, and our fun along the way. Join us on this wild ride!