Wow, what a weekend!
I was super stressed out and nervous in the few days leading up to the race, and I eventually figured out that it was mainly because I had not had no opportunity to swim in the lake since last August and it was still a big unknown.
Saturday morning I got up and settled into packing up and getting the house in order. We left around 2:00 and drove the 1 1/2 hours to Oliver where I first went for a swim, and then picked up the race package. The water was considerably warmer than it had been two weeks earlier and the air temp at the time was about 32C (90F). Water temp was about 19C, or 66F. It took me about 5-10 minutes of swimming to settle myself down and feel comfortable. At first my heart was pounding and I found it hard to breathe properly but eventually, that feeling went away, and I swam far enough to know I was going to be ok the next day.
I went to the race meeting at 5pm and then drove 20 minutes to Osoyoos where our hotel was located. (Coincidentally, our hotel is at the bottom of the hill where my avatar and podcast photo was taken.)
I had some chicken and rice and a banana for dinner, and then relaxed and took it easy for the evening. I was tired so we were asleep before 10.
I got up at 6am and got my stuff organized. I had also brought my own breakfast food - the usual - yogurt, banana, and a handful of oatmeal, but I was pretty nervous and had a hard time getting the food down. I also began to sip on a bottle of nuun/carbo pro.
We checked out and left the hotel around 7am, got to Oliver and set up transition. I also got body marked - #103 - and picked up my timing chip ankle band. My friend Paul, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, was not able to race, but met me in transition and we chatted a little before he had to head out to do his volunteer duties. It was great to see a familiar face!
I met some of the women in my age grou, 6 of us in all for the sprint, and then put my wetsuit on and headed down to the beach when transition closed at 8:30. This is the first year they had an Olympic distance in addition to the Sprint, so there were two waves. The Oly's left first, at 8:30, and then we started when the last Oly had started their second swim lap, at about 8:55.
Everyone was really spread out waiting in the water so I got myself into the middle of the pack, figuring I was less nervous this year and wouldn't have to swim way in the back like last time. I have never swum with men before so I wasn't sure where I'd fare with them. As it turned out, I found myself having to swim around quite a few people, and as usual, I got stuck for awhile behind some breast strokers. I think that is fairly common in a sprint race because there are so many beginners. Next time, in a similar kind of race, I'm going to get about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way back of the front. I think I can handle it ok now.
I felt fine the whole swim, very little in the way of nerves, although my goggles fogged up a lot and I could hardly see after about 250m. It was quite windy and the waves pushed me off course a few times, but overall, I swim fairly straight and managed just fine. Once I passed the turn around bouy, I kicked it up a notch and started to swim faster, especially the last 200m.
Erik was close by as I got out of the water, and although I didn't see him, I heard him yell out 15:45! I was stoked, it was a great swim time for me. I was still a ways away from the timing mat though so the time was not official.
Swim time: 16:26 (goal was 18:00) 56/113 people, 12/50 women, 2/6 AG
I had my wetsuit half stripped and my goggles off right away, and I went straight to my bike and put on my shoes (no socks), my helmet, sunglasses, and grabbed a quick guzzle from my bottle. I also tore the top open from a gel and shoved into back into my bento box. Then I headed out on my bike.
T1: 1:55 (goal was 2:00) 25/113 people
It was still fairly windy but for the first 4 km, the wind was behind me. My HR was fairly high and I tried to eat some of the gel, but couldn't get it down. I also tried to drink some of my water/nuun/carbo-pro but had a tough time swallowing when I was working so hard.
I felt strong going up the first hill, which is fairly steep, and I was able to pass a few people right off the bat. Once at the top, I hammered along the plateau to the turn around point and then had to face the wind for about 9km. My speed down the big hill only hit about 52kmh, when weeks earlier I had hit 68kmh, so the wind was definitely a factor.
I saw very few women on the bike course, and for the most part, I played leap frog with about 5-6 men. And the 2nd turn around point, I knew I had only 5km to go and with the wind behind me now, I went as hard as I could. I left several men behind me at the point. I was watching my time and was pretty disappointed that I was not going to meet my time goal of 34 minutes but I figured the wind had seriously affected my time. Soon I was at T2, ready to begin the run.
Bike (18 km): 36:36 (goal 34:00) 32/113 people, 6/50 women, 2/6 women
T2 went quickly. All I had to do was rack my bike, and there were only 37 bikes in the area so it was easy to find my spot. I changed shoes, grabbed my hat and a drink, then took off.
T2: 1:16 (goal 1:00) (33/113 people)
Right away, I had a hill to climb and my legs felt heavy. I tried to shake it off, and loosen up as I ran but the feeling continued. I could see I was running really slowly, slower than a 10 min mile.
After about 1 km, my left ankle began to hurt. Not only was the timing chip band rubbing it raw, but the ankle itself was aching and hurting. When I eventually began to favour it, I stopped and tried to loosen and stretch it and then walk a bit. I did this about 3 times until I was at the 2 km mark. At this point, I decided to loosen the band a bit to at least alleviate the rubbing a bit. I then realized that the band itself was too tight and the constriction was causing the pain.
I took a few more walk breaks until I reached the turn around point, then things started to feel a bit better. However, I was feeling pretty frustrated by this point. Quite a few people were passing me, although most of them were men, and there was no way I could keep up. My goal time came and went around the 4km mark and I was able to start pushing it a little harder. I doubt even then that I was able to run much faster than a 10 min mile though. It's amazing how your body just won't do what you want it to do sometimes.
As I got closer to the finish line, I pushed as hard as I could to try to at least come close to a 1:28 time and I was able to make that last small goal. Erik was there at the finish line, taking pictures as I ran down the short steep hill. I was content with my overall time, but not particularly happy with the way the race had ended.
Run: 32:09 (goal - 29:00 min) 83/113, 28/50 women, 3/6 age group
Overall time:
1:28:20 (goal 1:23-1:28) 57/113 people, 17/50 women, 3/6 age group
So I beat my swim goal.
I met my transition goals.
I met, and perhaps beat, my bike goal considering the wind.
I did not come close to meeting my run goal.
What did I learn?
1. Start myself closer to the front of the swim.
2. Eat my gel before the swim. Drink more if I can. Maybe carry a water bottle on the run if it's hot.
3. Somehow learn to run faster. I really believe that will happen. It's still early in the season and I've had a number of injuries to contend with.
4. Don't be afraid to pass men on the bike. I'm still hesitant to pass them, especially if they look like roadies. I'm getting better at it though. :)
5. Wear my timing chip looser!!!!
I think that is all. I've analyzed it to death! :)
Erik and I both recorded some audio before, during, and after the race, and that is now available in Episode #22 of my podcast if you want to hear it.
Kelownagurl Tris Podcast Website
There is also a slideshow of my triathlon photos that Erik took.
Slideshow of Photos
Both can be found on my podcast blog, as well as on itunes.
I want to thank Brian Grenier who has coached me for the last 10 weeks, and to Darin Booten at Kona Endurance Pro who sponsored me. I appreciate all you have done for me - thank you!!
Kelownagurl: Off and Running in all Directions
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
For the record
This post will be of interest only to people who follow the Trilogy Running podcast. The rest of you can ignore it if you like. My race report will be posted tomorrow!
1. I emailed Shawn and Jason to let them know that many listeners, such as myself, are friends with the woman they ranted against in their podcast. I wasn't sure if they knew that, and I thought if they did, they might have handled their rant in a different way. It's easy to bash a person and their ideas when you don't know them 'personally'.
2. I did not, at any time, suggest that they should not rant against low-carb diets or any other topic. I do not have any intent, or interest, in attempting to censor anyone's podcast, and I agree that Trilogy Running has every right to discuss any topic they choose on their podcast. The sole purpose of my email was they let them know that she is a friend to many, in case they didn't know many of us follow her on twitter, because I thought, perhaps foolishly so, that this knowledge might affect how they would publicly react to her podcast.
3. I did ask them if they would consider editing out the rant against her personally, not the topic itself, because I was worried how she'd feel if she heard it. The next morning, when she told me she had heard it, I emailed them back and told them.
I still stand by my email and would write it again. I do understand that there are many of you who think that I should have just have stopped listening and unsubscribed, but I found that extremely difficult to do, for the reasons listed above.
Can you honestly say, that if you heard a friend being publicly bashed, you would not stand up for them in some way, or do something to try to stop them from hearing it? If not, then I question your loyalty. I am not one of those people. And I can tell you, she did not ask me to stand up for her, in fact she likely would have preferred that I didn't. But I made my decision based on the information I had at the time, and I still believe it was the right thing to do. At the time, I thought of Shawn and Jason as fellow podcasters and to some degree, friends that I could appeal to, although clearly that sentiment is not returned.
If anyone has any further questions, they are welcome to email me.
By the way, my feelings about the Buckeye Challenge have been public record to anyone who listens to my podcast.
Thanks, Barb :)
1. I emailed Shawn and Jason to let them know that many listeners, such as myself, are friends with the woman they ranted against in their podcast. I wasn't sure if they knew that, and I thought if they did, they might have handled their rant in a different way. It's easy to bash a person and their ideas when you don't know them 'personally'.
2. I did not, at any time, suggest that they should not rant against low-carb diets or any other topic. I do not have any intent, or interest, in attempting to censor anyone's podcast, and I agree that Trilogy Running has every right to discuss any topic they choose on their podcast. The sole purpose of my email was they let them know that she is a friend to many, in case they didn't know many of us follow her on twitter, because I thought, perhaps foolishly so, that this knowledge might affect how they would publicly react to her podcast.
3. I did ask them if they would consider editing out the rant against her personally, not the topic itself, because I was worried how she'd feel if she heard it. The next morning, when she told me she had heard it, I emailed them back and told them.
I still stand by my email and would write it again. I do understand that there are many of you who think that I should have just have stopped listening and unsubscribed, but I found that extremely difficult to do, for the reasons listed above.
Can you honestly say, that if you heard a friend being publicly bashed, you would not stand up for them in some way, or do something to try to stop them from hearing it? If not, then I question your loyalty. I am not one of those people. And I can tell you, she did not ask me to stand up for her, in fact she likely would have preferred that I didn't. But I made my decision based on the information I had at the time, and I still believe it was the right thing to do. At the time, I thought of Shawn and Jason as fellow podcasters and to some degree, friends that I could appeal to, although clearly that sentiment is not returned.
If anyone has any further questions, they are welcome to email me.
By the way, my feelings about the Buckeye Challenge have been public record to anyone who listens to my podcast.
Thanks, Barb :)
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Fw: test
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
Monday, May 18, 2009
Taper Week - Ready to Race!
Wow, I can't believe it's already here! One week to go and I am getting so nervous as usual.
I've been going back over my posts from last year to see how I set things up in transition and to remind myself of all the things I need to do this week. Things will be a little different this time because I am racing out of town and have to take all my stuff in the car the day before. Sleeping in a hotel and eating away from home will be other wrinkles I have to consider.
Good news is - I get to wear a wetsuit this year. Bad news is - the lake is freaking cold. 16-17C (60-61F) at last check (thanks Paul).
Transition:
Pink Towel
Bike Shoes (worn barefoot)
Running Shoes with s
Socks rolled half way down, tucked into each running shoe
Sunglasses
Hat
Race belt with number
Full water bottle
Full bottle of Nuun/Carbo Pro
It'll look more or less like this pic (from last year) although I'm wearing different running shoes now, and I'll take two bottles I think. I won't have the epipen either.
Small hand towel (in case)
Puffer
Shot Bloks or an extra Hammer Gel??
Jersey? (jacket or raingear or ??)
On Bike
Bento box - kleenex (no laughing), hammer gel, puffer
Garmin on bike - power on before the swim
Aerobottle full
Underseat Bag
Spare tube
Tire levers
2 gas cartridges
Bike tool
Wear
Tri top
Tri shorts
Flip flops
Wet suit
Goggles
Swim cap(s)
Track suit if cold
In Back Pack (with Erik)
Epipen (just in case!)
Chocolate milk (for after)
Camera
Recorder
Blackberry
Sun screen
Body Glide - for under wetsuit, calves, wrists, neck etc.
Pack in car for the trip
All of the above PLUS:
Bike
Floor pump
Tri top, tri shorts and extra set of clothes in case
Dinner food
Snack food
Breakfast food
Alarm clock
iPod
BC Triathlon Membership Card
OK, that's all I can think of right now. I will be adding more as I remember things.
Goal Times?:
I don't really have any because I haven't ridden this route much and can't really tell how I'll do BUT I will make some guesses.
Swim: 18 minutes (assuming it's the same distance as my last tri)
T1: 2 Minutes
Bike: 30.5-32 kmh = 34-35 min if it's actually only 18km.
T2: 1 minute
Run: tough to guess. Under 30 minutes. Maybe only barely tho.
18+2+34+1+28 = 1:23 - 1:26
But who really knows? If it's windy, forget it. It took me 45 minutes to do that bike route in a strong wind a few weeks ago.
Here's a link to the race:
Oliver Sprint (and Olympic) Triathlon (Wed 7:30am, currently this site has been hacked. Hopefully the link will be working soon.)
Swim and Transition Map
Bike Route Map
Run Route Map
I've been going back over my posts from last year to see how I set things up in transition and to remind myself of all the things I need to do this week. Things will be a little different this time because I am racing out of town and have to take all my stuff in the car the day before. Sleeping in a hotel and eating away from home will be other wrinkles I have to consider.
Good news is - I get to wear a wetsuit this year. Bad news is - the lake is freaking cold. 16-17C (60-61F) at last check (thanks Paul).
Transition:
Pink Towel
Bike Shoes (worn barefoot)
Running Shoes with s
Socks rolled half way down, tucked into each running shoe
Sunglasses
Hat
Race belt with number
Full water bottle
Full bottle of Nuun/Carbo Pro
It'll look more or less like this pic (from last year) although I'm wearing different running shoes now, and I'll take two bottles I think. I won't have the epipen either.
Small hand towel (in case)
Puffer
Shot Bloks or an extra Hammer Gel??
Jersey? (jacket or raingear or ??)
On Bike
Bento box - kleenex (no laughing), hammer gel, puffer
Garmin on bike - power on before the swim
Aerobottle full
Underseat Bag
Spare tube
Tire levers
2 gas cartridges
Bike tool
Wear
Tri top
Tri shorts
Flip flops
Wet suit
Goggles
Swim cap(s)
Track suit if cold
In Back Pack (with Erik)
Epipen (just in case!)
Chocolate milk (for after)
Camera
Recorder
Blackberry
Sun screen
Body Glide - for under wetsuit, calves, wrists, neck etc.
Pack in car for the trip
All of the above PLUS:
Bike
Floor pump
Tri top, tri shorts and extra set of clothes in case
Dinner food
Snack food
Breakfast food
Alarm clock
iPod
BC Triathlon Membership Card
OK, that's all I can think of right now. I will be adding more as I remember things.
Goal Times?:
I don't really have any because I haven't ridden this route much and can't really tell how I'll do BUT I will make some guesses.
Swim: 18 minutes (assuming it's the same distance as my last tri)
T1: 2 Minutes
Bike: 30.5-32 kmh = 34-35 min if it's actually only 18km.
T2: 1 minute
Run: tough to guess. Under 30 minutes. Maybe only barely tho.
18+2+34+1+28 = 1:23 - 1:26
But who really knows? If it's windy, forget it. It took me 45 minutes to do that bike route in a strong wind a few weeks ago.
Here's a link to the race:
Oliver Sprint (and Olympic) Triathlon (Wed 7:30am, currently this site has been hacked. Hopefully the link will be working soon.)
Swim and Transition Map
Bike Route Map
Run Route Map
Friday, May 8, 2009
Busy, busy, busy...
**Just ignore the weird look on my blog right now. I am in the middle of changing the size of the columns and haven't quite figured out how to change the corners. lol...**
Oh my, do I need to update my blog! I have been so busy these past couple of weeks that I barely got my podcast out last weekend, and never did get around to updating the blog.
But I am doing well.
Work update (for anyone who doesn't listen to the podcast and/or follow me on twitter)
~ here's what's been going on.
A couple of weeks ago, I was declared surplus (as expected), and was first on the recall list.
Last Thursday, someone retired and I was offered a full time position but it was Music Prep. I thought about it for awhile and then accepted the job with the plan that I would attempt to post out into a primary position elsewhere. There are seldom many primary jobs close by so I took the music job in case nothing else turned up. A bird in the hand so to speak...
On Friday, the postings came out and I applied for the 6 primary positions at the new school. I have an interview on Monday. There is no guarantee that I will get a job there so I am also getting my head around going back to teaching music next year. Either way, there will be big changes in store.
My Training
I've had a few heavy weeks of training and it's been hard to get it all done, on top of work and the job stress, but I've managed fairly well.
After my test week:
April 20-26
9+ hours of training
(3 runs, 5 bikes, 2 swims, 1 rest day)
April 27-May 3
9.5 hours of training
(2 runs, 6 bikes, 2 swims, 2 elliptical)
May 4 - 10 ~ Crash Week - 12 hours training, 2 rest days
I don't know a lot about crash training but it seems you double your workouts and throw in more rest between, to over tax your system and show big gains later. Interesting. We are monitoring my fatigue levels carefully. So far, so good.
Mon - rest day
Tues - Swim 1:30, bike hill repeats, 1:30. (I had to stop swimming after 1:05 pool closed)
Wed - Run :45, Xtrain :45 (did rowing and weights)
Thu - Rest day
Fri (today) - Swim 1:30, bike intervals 1:30 (calf cramped at 1:10 swim, had to quit early)
Sat - Brick 1:30 (5 min hard bike 800 m run X 4)
Sun - Bike 3:00
I've done everything except I had to cut both swims back to 1:10.
Should have no trouble doing brick tomorrow but bike 3:00 on Sunday will be hard because Erik is racing tomorrow and won't want to ride with me. 3:00 is a looong time to ride alone.
I guess it will be mental endurnace as well as physical.
So far I feel ok. I was really tired on Thursday and thankfully it was a rest day.
Haven't figured out what caused the calf cramps when I was swimming. I've been using the electrolytes and staying hydrated....
Although 12 hours was planned, I'll only get in 11 hours if I do everything I'm supposed to this weekend.
Next week is much easier. Mon and Tues are day off. Wed is an easy swim and a 30 minutes TT bike. Thursday is another day off. Friday, Sat and Sun are bricks and transition practice.
The week after that? Taper!!!!
Gahhhhh!
Lake temp is currenlty 15 degrees... Brrrrrrr.... (thanks for that Paul. ;)
Tomorrow, Erik does his first duathlon! Good luck honey!!!
Oh my, do I need to update my blog! I have been so busy these past couple of weeks that I barely got my podcast out last weekend, and never did get around to updating the blog.
But I am doing well.
Work update (for anyone who doesn't listen to the podcast and/or follow me on twitter)
~ here's what's been going on.
A couple of weeks ago, I was declared surplus (as expected), and was first on the recall list.
Last Thursday, someone retired and I was offered a full time position but it was Music Prep. I thought about it for awhile and then accepted the job with the plan that I would attempt to post out into a primary position elsewhere. There are seldom many primary jobs close by so I took the music job in case nothing else turned up. A bird in the hand so to speak...
On Friday, the postings came out and I applied for the 6 primary positions at the new school. I have an interview on Monday. There is no guarantee that I will get a job there so I am also getting my head around going back to teaching music next year. Either way, there will be big changes in store.
My Training
I've had a few heavy weeks of training and it's been hard to get it all done, on top of work and the job stress, but I've managed fairly well.
After my test week:
April 20-26
9+ hours of training
(3 runs, 5 bikes, 2 swims, 1 rest day)
April 27-May 3
9.5 hours of training
(2 runs, 6 bikes, 2 swims, 2 elliptical)
May 4 - 10 ~ Crash Week - 12 hours training, 2 rest days
I don't know a lot about crash training but it seems you double your workouts and throw in more rest between, to over tax your system and show big gains later. Interesting. We are monitoring my fatigue levels carefully. So far, so good.
Mon - rest day
Tues - Swim 1:30, bike hill repeats, 1:30. (I had to stop swimming after 1:05 pool closed)
Wed - Run :45, Xtrain :45 (did rowing and weights)
Thu - Rest day
Fri (today) - Swim 1:30, bike intervals 1:30 (calf cramped at 1:10 swim, had to quit early)
Sat - Brick 1:30 (5 min hard bike 800 m run X 4)
Sun - Bike 3:00
I've done everything except I had to cut both swims back to 1:10.
Should have no trouble doing brick tomorrow but bike 3:00 on Sunday will be hard because Erik is racing tomorrow and won't want to ride with me. 3:00 is a looong time to ride alone.
I guess it will be mental endurnace as well as physical.
So far I feel ok. I was really tired on Thursday and thankfully it was a rest day.
Haven't figured out what caused the calf cramps when I was swimming. I've been using the electrolytes and staying hydrated....
Although 12 hours was planned, I'll only get in 11 hours if I do everything I'm supposed to this weekend.
Next week is much easier. Mon and Tues are day off. Wed is an easy swim and a 30 minutes TT bike. Thursday is another day off. Friday, Sat and Sun are bricks and transition practice.
The week after that? Taper!!!!
Gahhhhh!
Lake temp is currenlty 15 degrees... Brrrrrrr.... (thanks for that Paul. ;)
Tomorrow, Erik does his first duathlon! Good luck honey!!!
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