2 down, 2 to go

not so good at keeping up, am I?
well, here's what happened:
Tri #1: like an idiot, decided that a 40+ mile ride the day before would be OK. turns out, it wasn't - Goal time was under 60 minutes for 587 yds swimming, 9 miles biking, and 2.4 miles running. But the lactic acid was still so much in my legs from the long ride the day before that I was gasping for air on the swim, and every time I breathed, I slowed down a little more. I was a little dizzy getting out of the water for the bike, and just didn't have the hill-climbing ability I should have had. Then, on the run, had to stop and walk because again, I got dizzy. Such a weird feeling. But I still set a new time record - 1:06, beating last year's time by...20 seconds.

Tri#2: Having learned my lesson about working out the day before, I was excited to take on a new challenge - new course, new competitors. I had never seen the 547yd/11.4mi/3.1mi course or the lake or any of the area before (I never go over to Lawrence, KS, much less south of it). Predicted heat index for the day was to be about 107. It was 85 degrees already at 4 in the morning when I left my house.
Got to the transition zone, got set up, and went for a light warm-up run. Everything was feeling good. Then I got in the water. Holy hot tub Batman! The water temperature was about 90 degrees - it was warmer than the air. the start zone was getting churned up and bringing cold water up, but once the swim started, it was hot, hot, hot! Time was a little slower, but felt good (other than the water temp).


The Bike course was hilly - everyone was talking about how challenging it was prior to the race. I figured I'd be facing some difficulty, but having dropped 20 pounds this year, and gotten stronger and faster on the climbs near my house, I was excited. Turns out, yes it was hilly, but I managed to turn in the 13th fastest bike time overall...not an easy task for a clydesdale! (Yes, I race in that category). In fact, I think the reduced visibility from the twists and turns of the road at the beginning of the course slowed me down a little more, just because I couldn't see what was up ahead.
Then came the run. Oh, how I suffered. I've been running a crazy hilly 5k distance every other day in less than 26 minutes. But the heat was too much. I had hoped for a run time of about 27 minutes. I took 33. I just couldn't cool down - my legs were fine, but my cardiovascular system was screaming at me. The first mile took me almost 13 minutes! Not until I got to an aid station and poured about 5 gatorade cups of ice-cold water on me did I begin to feel better. I crossed the line and immediately jumped into the ice bath they had set up under the Oakley tent. Final time for the race was 1:22 - goal time was 1:10.

Next race is August 22. Luckily, I've done the course before, though a longer distance. Distances are 528/11.75/3, with a goal time of 1:12. Let's just hope it's a tad cooler.

Happy July

wow - I suck at posting. Anyway, Happy July. 1st tri down, 3 more to go. Lessons learned from this year's first tri?? Don't go for a 45 mile bike ride the day before. Found out that all that lactic acid doesn't go away as fast as you think it does, and then you're in the middle of the lake, and starving for oxygen to breakdown the lactic acid, and when you do get out of the water (20% slower than you wanted to because you were swimming crooked) your legs are all shades of wonky, you have no juice in them for the climbs on the bike, and when you do get to the run, you get dizzy and feel like you are walking/running sideways. As in, "I-should-have-had-a-V8" kind of sideways.
Anyway, still managed to post a PR, albeit by only 20 seconds, not the 7-8 minutes I was hoping for.
Oh, and on a recovery run the next day, I blew out my Nike Frees that I had been REALLY digging on for runs. crap. They don't even make them like I want anymore. Now I have to find a new shoe? This sucks.
Anyway, I'll try to post again after my next tri on July 20!

first race complete!

Had my first race this weekend - and it was on a NASCAR track of all places! Yep, had a 3-mile time trial on the skirt/apron of the Kansas Speedway - 2 laps, no excuses. I was excited for it since I thought the flat terrain (instead of hills) would suit me. While I didn't go as fast as I wanted, I still did pretty good - 7th overall in my age group, which incidentally, is the fastest age group of them all. I won my division - 45 seconds ahead of the guy that came in second.

Oddly enough, the 2 guys immediately in front of me placed 2nd and 3rd overall in the age group, so when they were reading out times, I heard their times, then mine, and thought I had done miserably (although I was secretly hoping to be in the top 5, if not medal). And the difference between places 4-8 was a total of 8 seconds...grrr!

I guess that just means I have a new target for next year!!!


Like this, but with bikes. Start and finish on pit road. Oh, and nobody was in the stands :(

New Season

Yes, I realize it's been awhile, but I felt bad about bumping Teddy down. But Spring is in the air, our puppies Tarfful and Teebo are loving the backyard, and with the promise of the season of growth, it seemed time to update.

In case anyone still reads this and cares, this year I've signed up for 4 triathlons. None of them are Ironman distance, but I've never competed like this before. Should be challenging.

Oh, and my last month or so has been overtaken by my single-speed project - converting my old steel-frame road bike to a single speed. Of course, I decided that wasn't enough, and since the paint job was going down-hill (ha!), it needed a paint job. Just need the last few coats of clearcoat, and it will be done. Here's a peek sans decals: