Starting Over Yet Again

Any Sex and the City fans out there might get that reference!

It's been a hectic summer and fall, and I haven't had Internet except on my phone, so my blog has kinda fallen off the face of the earth! But I am ramping up my running training for the Seattle half (I've decided to go for a half PR there and build up mileage for my first 50K in March), so I figured that I should get it going again whenever I have a computer to post on!

Job-wise, I'm still working at the Tavern on Friday and Saturday nights, and it's still fun - but I definitely need another job, stat! I've managed to scrap by for rent, etc. so far, but it's super stressful and it'd be so nice to not have to panic every time the first of the month rolls around!

I'm also in need of $ in order to run races! I haven't signed up for the Seattle half yet, or for the Chuckanut Mountain 50K, or anything else. Hopefully I'll have a job soon enough that I won't have to rely on other people's generosity!!

I know it probably seems silly to go for a half PR on such a hilly course, but I actually ran faster at the San Francisco half (much hillier than Seattle) than I did at Eugene. Short legs come in handy sometimes!

Mini-break

My internet has decided not to work for the past few weeks, so I probably won't be able to post much until we get it back! It's been weird not having it!

Shout-out to The End

Best radio station in Seattle... I don't know what I'd do without them!

www.1077theend.com

What I'm listening to this week:

Lisztomania, Phoenix
Crystalized, The XX
Just Breathe, Pearl Jam
Jane Says, Jane's Addiction
Home, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes
Animal, Neon Trees
Memories, Weezer
The Freshmen, The Verve Pipe
Runaway Train, Soul Asylum
In One Ear, Cage the Elephant
Everlong, Foo Fighters
Little Lion Man, Mumford & Sons
Starlight, Muse
Hammerhead, The Offspring

Just a small sample of course, but all of the music they play is so amazing!!

Danskin Sprint Tri race report

Yep, that's right, I haven't completely fallen off the face of the earth! It's just been an absolutely crazy month, up and down and exhausting and ridiculous. Which also means that I haven't done much training (read - basically none) since the San Francisco 1/2. However, in the spirit of getting back on track, here is my Danskin triathlon race report!

Background/training - As stated in the above paragraph... pretty much none. Plus I was also sick for a week... so I wasn't really expecting to even race this - just planned on doing it for fun.

Swim - Hopped in the water with my wave of about 50 people. The swim was pretty intense - it was super crowded (even once my wave got spread out, I started to run into people from the back of the wave in front of us) and the water was really really choppy because of all the people. I'm pretty sure I swallowed more lake water than I ever have before. I even had to stop and tread water for a few seconds once because I got a nice lungful of water along with a kick in the head. However, unlike the Seafair tri, I was swimming really strongly on the rare occasions I did get an open stretch of water to myself, and I was better about muscling my way in between people (although there were still a few occasions where I had to hit the brakes and go around... kind of frustrating). Time: 19:02

Transition 1 - My bike was racked in pretty much the farthest place from all the entry/exit points, so it was a loooong transition. It went pretty uneventfully, just took a lot longer to get from the water to the bike and out to the road to hop on. Time: 4:44

Bike - Once again, I was pleasantly surprised by how strong I felt on the bike. I feel like I could really make great strides and be good at the bike with more training and a decent road bike. As it is I'm fairly middle of the pack on my $5 garage sale hybrid. The course had a lot of rolling hills (the same course as Seafair plus an extra hill or two), and since Danskin is such a beginner friendly race, there were a LOT of people in front of me to pass. I was having so much fun passing people that I never really got tired, which is probably why my bike was faster than at Seafair. Time: 46:08, 15.6 mph

Transition 2 - I had a minor moment of panic at this point because my Gatorade had disappeared, and it was getting really hot and I wanted a drink before the run portion. I also couldn't find my bag with my phone and my keys in it because the transition area was such a mess, so I ran out keeping my fingers crossed that I'd find them after the race. Time: 1:54

Run - It was pretty warm out by the time I started the run, and the course didn't have much shade on it, so I made it my goal to just keep a steady pace, only walk through the water stops, make it up the hill running, and finish stronger than I did at Seafair. I managed to keep myself distracted for the first few miles by counting all the people I passed (there were LOTS of people walking) until I lost track at around 30. I drank and dumped water on myself at every aid station, and I made it up the short (but STEEEEEEP) hill running the entire way (I only saw three other people do it). I felt like I was going to puke at the top because it was so hot, but it was downhill towards the finish and I managed to kick it in pretty strong. Time: 32:27

Final time: 1:44:18

Breakdown:

Clock Time
01:44:18

Overall Place
873 / 3313

Division Place
52 / 114

Swim
00:19:02

Swimrank
720

Trans1
00:04:44

Bike
00:46:08

Bikerank
1369

Mph
15.6

Trans2
00:01:54

Runrank
1099

Run
00:32:27

Pace
00:10:28

Reflections - I was really pleased with how this race went given my lack of training and my plan to just go in and do it for fun! I thought the swim would have been faster, but I had a great time pushing it and passing people on the bike and going strong and steady on the run. I guess I just need to keep working on my swim speed and accept/acknowledge that the crowds and choppy water in big races are going to slow me down a little bit no matter what! But I wasn't expecting a PR at all, so especially given the heat and the longer transitions, I am happy with it!

Next up - Black Diamond Olympic Triathlon, September 25

More pictures to come soon!

San Francisco 1/2 Marathon race report

Once again, more professional race pictures to be added once they are up - and I will make a separate blog post about my vacation and with all my other pictures in it!

Pre-race dinner - Lisa, me, Linn, and Jen!

Running across the Golden Gate bridge!

The view from up here was totally worth all the hills!

Happy campers post-race!

Elevation map... let me tell you, all of those hills look a lot bigger when you're running them!!

Background/training - Didn't really do much for this race (surprise surprise!) - took the week pretty much off after the Seafair triathlon because of vacation!


Pre-race - Spent a lovely few days exploring San Francisco and meeting lots of new people! Jen and her husband were nice enough to let me crash in their guest bedroom on Thursday and Friday night, which was awesome! And, we were lucky enough to go to a talk/book signing with Dean Karnazes and Bart Yasso! Jen, Linn and I stayed in a hotel near Union Square on Saturday night so we could be closer to the race start - I don't think any of us got much sleep, but that's not really surprising the night before a race! We went out to dinner at an Italian place and met up with Lisa, her sister, Christina's friend Jared, and a couple of other people - super fun! Sunday morning we were up at 4 AM for the walk to the race start. It was really pretty - the Bay Bridge was all light up, and there was an arch of white balloons with little blue Christmas lights underneath them floating over it. The porta pottie lines were so long that we missed our wave, but we hopped in the next one and soon enough we were off!

Mile 1-4 - The race started out along the waterfront, past Pier 39 and the Fisherman's Wharf. I had gone exploring there on Friday, but it was still fun to see, and the weather (though a bit foggy) was perfect for running. I started off slowly and just tried to get my legs to loosen up before we hit the tough parts of the course. The sourdough bread smelled so good as we ran by - so tempting! There was a steep little hill at mile 2, which I ran up and felt quite proud of myself. Hey, maybe the rest of the course wouldn't be as bad as I thought! I settled into a nice steady pace, and then...

Miles 5-9 - There was quite a big hill going up to the Golden Gate bridge - which I was expecting, but by the time I had run/walked/shuffled up to the start of the bridge, I was a little bit demoralized. If the entire course was like this I'd be lucky to finish in under 3 hours! Running across the bridge was nice (especially once we got to the midpoint and it was gradual downhill instead of gradual uphill!) - I maintained a steady pace, stayed focused, and felt good. It was fun to see Linn and Jen coming back, and I got plenty of GU at the turnaround on the other side. I stopped to take a few pictures coming back - I just couldn't resist! I was still feeling strong and steady when we came off the bridge, and I was getting ready to enjoy a nice downhill - after all, we came UP to the bridge, so we must get to go DOWN off of it, right?

Miles 9-11 - Nope. There was a bit of downhill, and then another big hill around mile 9.5. There were a lot of people walking by this point, but I managed a run/walk up the hill, and the view at the top was incredible (see the non-bridge picture at the top). We were also rewarded with the nice long downhill that I had been waiting for, and I was still feeling good!

Miles 11-13 - As you can see from the elevation map (maybe), the last two or so miles felt like running upstairs - a flat section, an uphill, a flat section, another uphill! I ran probably 3/4 of the way up every hill, took a short walk break before the top, and ran the flat sections. It was a gorgeous neighborhood, and even though I felt like I had been running uphill the entire race, I was able to stay strong and steady until we came into Golden Gate park and crossed the finish line!

Final time: 2:35

Reflections/post-race: I was very pleased with my time of 2:35. It's not fast, certainly not near my PR, but it is a minute faster than I ran on pancake-flat Eugene. I didn't train very well and I definitely didn't train for hills, but I was able to stay strong and steady and I never really faded or hit the wall. It was a really fun race, and I was so glad to have been able to meet some great people! Jen and Linn were nice enough to wait for me at the finish line, and we bussed back to the start line and then walked back to our hotel. I'm really glad we did so much walking after the race - I am probably less sore now than I have been after any other half! I had a nice post-race brunch with Christina's friend Jared at Cheesecake Factory, and then wandered around the mall at Union Square until it was time to catch the BART to the airport for our flights. Despite waiting around in SFO for 6-7 hours b/c of a delayed flight, it was a great trip and a fun race!

Next up: Danskin Sprint Tri, 8/15/10 - going for that sub 1:45!

Seafair Sprint Tri Race Report (updated w/pics)

Professional race pictures added at the bottom!

Some nice bed head before the start of the race... I was up at 4 AM, cut me some slack!

Ready to head out into the water... brrr!

Hmm, that swim was not as good as I expected... but I still beat my time goal!

On to the bike....

Getting ready for a great ride!

Trying not to do what the lady in yellow did (fall on my face)!

Starting the run course... hey, my legs still feel good!

Nice little finishing kick at the end of a good run!

Nap time plz?

Bud and I in the finish area. Yay!

Background- I was actually fairly well trained for this race, although I could have used some more running and swimming speedwork. My long run is currently 13.1 miles, so 5K is a pretty short run distance. I had biked up to 30 miles and done a few 10-12 mile tempo rides, some of them on the course, which I think really helped. I had done plenty of open water swims and I felt my form was getting even more improved. I told myself I'd be ok with anything under 2 hours, and I'd be really really happy with 1:50 or 1:45.

Swim - The water wasn't as cold as I was expecting given how cloudy it was, but it was still COLD (low 60s). There were only a few other people without wetsuits there. I made the mistake of starting near the back of my wave because I wasn't sure how fast everyone else was, so it took me almost all the way to the first buoy to get in the clear. I was running into people, swerving, trying to get around people, getting run over, getting kicked... not so fun! By the time I came around to the second buoy, I was in a little more of a rhythm, but still wasn't feeling as fast and strong as usual. I struggled a bit on the long straightaway coming in to the shore, but I managed to push through it. I wasn't too pleased with the swim coming out, but I still managed a sub 20 800M swim. Time: 18:50ish

Transition 1 - I could probably get this a bit faster, but nothing bad happened, haha! Time: 4:30 (it was a long way to get to the bike start!)

Bike- This went way better than I was expecting. The 12 mile course is a lot of rolling hills and some flat sections, with only one big steep hill. I went out at a steady pace, not pushing too hard but riding strong and steady. I ran my bike up the steep hill and continued on across the floating bridge. I hit the turn around point in 24 minutes, well under my goal pace of 55 minutes for the bike. And my legs were still feeling great! I was able to stay really focused, strong, and steady for the entire ride. I finished in right around 49 minutes, which I was super happy with! Time: 49:20ish

Transition 2 - Uneventful, just dropped off my gloves and bike helmet. Time: 1 min

Run - I was very pleased when I started running and felt only a mild tightness in my calves and hamstrings - nothing like the incredible ouch I felt during the mock tri last weekend. I told myself that I wouldn't waste such a good bike ride by not pushing it on the run. I started off strong, steady, and still feeling good. I hit the first mile in about 10:30, which was a lot faster than I was expecting! Mile 2 came about halfway up the hill in the race, which is long and steep. I ran up most of it, only walking for about 10 seconds during the steepest part. Coming back down was a lot of fun! I ran mile 2 in about 11:00, and after coming down the hill, pushed it stronger and stronger until I saw the finish line, and then unleashed a pretty good finishing kick until I crossed the line. Time: 32:33

Final time: 1:45:33(ish)

Reflections - I am very happy with my overall time! The bike and the run were strong, steady efforts that were faster than I expected and I am very pleased with them (although I know there is always room for improvement!). I could practice my transitions a few more times but they weren't horrible. The swim got off to a rough start and I never really got settled, but I managed to push through and still finish with not a horrible time. I can't wait for the next one!

The swim start... brr!

One of the rolling hills on the bike course

I still don't look like a biker... I guess there's always room for improvement haha!

Running!

Almost time...

My first sprint tri of 2010 (and the first one I've raced, on my own) is 3 days away! The Seafair Sprint Tri will be at Seward Park on Sunday, July 18. It's a standard sprint distance - 800M swim, 12 mi bike, and 5K run. I am looking forward to it - I've had some great swims lately and a few good hard bike rides. I'm hoping to get another run or two in before the race, and hopefully the weather will cooperate!