If you'd like to see the breakdown of my official times, go here:
http://www.tricalifornia.com/pgtri/2007/results/olydvf30-39.cfm
I'm number 43. Pretty sweet!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Sweet Success!
Race day!
My alarm clock went off at 4:30am, and the first thought that went through my head was the freezing water I was in the day before and "what was I thinking?!?!"
I dragged myself out of bed, put on my tri clothes, ate breakfast with one of my coaches, grabbed my bag and my bike and went down to the lobby of the hotel to meet the rest of my team. We all checked in, hopped on our bikes and biked down to the event site. The nerves were beginning to kick in along with a bit of fear and doubt. Could I really do this?
I set up my transition area, went over everything three times, then had one of my coaches go over everything because that nagging feeling that I was forgetting something just wouldn't leave me.
At 7:30am, we were to meet up as a team to go on a warm-up jog. All I could think was that I was already going to have to run 6 miles in a couple of hours. Why in the world would my coaches be so evil to make me run even more? Haha. It was nice though to run togther and stretch together. All too soon it was time to tug my wetsuit on and head down to the water to await our warm up time in the water (10 minutes before we were to start).
I was sad to discover that the water wasn't any warmer than the day before -- in fact it was colder. I forced myself to stay in for the full amount of time we were allowed. I even got another woman to do a headstand with me just to lighten the mood. We looked like synchronized swimmers -- haha.
There we are, getting "warmed up." We were the first female wave to start which made it even more exciting. We were also the biggest wave to start.
All of our caps huddled together. There was cheering and dancing and hugging and threatening the jellyfish that may be awaiting us in the depths of the water. All too soon the start horn sounded, and ready or not, we were off:
I don't know which one I am in that picture. The swim was difficult with so many people around. I was kicked, smacked, stuck behind people. It was frustrating at times, but I just tried to stay focused and keep my technique as solid as possible despite the bodies pressing in all around me. Eventually I managed to break away enough to not have to battle too many people. I finished the swim in 40 minutes and ran up the path to my transition area. It wasn't until I got to transition and bent down to pick up my bike shoes that I realized I was far more dizzy than I thought. My first transition took a little over 4 minutes because I was trying not to fall over the entire time. I managed to not forget anything, and I was off on the bike before I even realized it.
I raced around that course like nobody's business, passing some of the boys who had started 15 minutes before me. I probably pushed myself too hard, cuz when I finished the bike part of the race an hour and 26 minutes later, my legs were tired. I knew the run wasn't going to be fun. Not that running is ever fun for me -- haha. After 25 miles on the bike, it's even less fun. I ran pretty much the entire first two miles with a couple of 30 second breaks. I ran/walked the last 4 miles. Here I am, struggling through mile 3:
I finished the 6 miles in 1 hour and 9 minutes. My average pace was 11 minutes, 8 seconds per mile, so I don't think I walked as much as I thought I did. I think it just seemed like I was walking more because it was more than I had wanted to be walking.
I made it across the finish line 3 hours, 24 minutes, and 49 seconds after I started.
Other than some pain in my left kneecap, I felt fine. I was proud of my time. I thought it was going to take me much longer than that. I guess when you have people inspiring you,
things seem a lot easier. Everyone on my team did stellar that day. I am so proud of all of us and so grateful to our coaches and mentors for pushing us the past four months. I have done something I didn't think I could do, and I did it well. I can shamelessly say that I am proud of myself.
Thank you all for you support -- financially and emotionally.
This experience has been challenging and inspiring in so many ways.
There was one experience that was particularly inspiring. It happened on July 22, 2007 when a few members of the team went to visit the Los Angeles Children's Hospital. It was there that I met the most amazing 8 year old boy. His name is Evan, and he is fighting leukemia right now. Meeting him has inspired me to sign up for the Lavaman triathlon on April 6. I will be doing this triathlon with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training again. I will be doing it in honor of Evan and the life he is fighting for. Of course, I need all of your support again for this one! Actually, I'll need even more support for this one because the course is VERY hilly (which I'm no good at), and I'm trying to raise even more money this time for Evan and the thousands of other kids and adults like him. If you want to be inspired by him, visit my website:
Joy4EvantheWarrior
He truly is amazing!
Thank you again!
My alarm clock went off at 4:30am, and the first thought that went through my head was the freezing water I was in the day before and "what was I thinking?!?!"
I dragged myself out of bed, put on my tri clothes, ate breakfast with one of my coaches, grabbed my bag and my bike and went down to the lobby of the hotel to meet the rest of my team. We all checked in, hopped on our bikes and biked down to the event site. The nerves were beginning to kick in along with a bit of fear and doubt. Could I really do this?
I set up my transition area, went over everything three times, then had one of my coaches go over everything because that nagging feeling that I was forgetting something just wouldn't leave me.
At 7:30am, we were to meet up as a team to go on a warm-up jog. All I could think was that I was already going to have to run 6 miles in a couple of hours. Why in the world would my coaches be so evil to make me run even more? Haha. It was nice though to run togther and stretch together. All too soon it was time to tug my wetsuit on and head down to the water to await our warm up time in the water (10 minutes before we were to start).
I was sad to discover that the water wasn't any warmer than the day before -- in fact it was colder. I forced myself to stay in for the full amount of time we were allowed. I even got another woman to do a headstand with me just to lighten the mood. We looked like synchronized swimmers -- haha.
There we are, getting "warmed up." We were the first female wave to start which made it even more exciting. We were also the biggest wave to start.
All of our caps huddled together. There was cheering and dancing and hugging and threatening the jellyfish that may be awaiting us in the depths of the water. All too soon the start horn sounded, and ready or not, we were off:
I don't know which one I am in that picture. The swim was difficult with so many people around. I was kicked, smacked, stuck behind people. It was frustrating at times, but I just tried to stay focused and keep my technique as solid as possible despite the bodies pressing in all around me. Eventually I managed to break away enough to not have to battle too many people. I finished the swim in 40 minutes and ran up the path to my transition area. It wasn't until I got to transition and bent down to pick up my bike shoes that I realized I was far more dizzy than I thought. My first transition took a little over 4 minutes because I was trying not to fall over the entire time. I managed to not forget anything, and I was off on the bike before I even realized it.
I raced around that course like nobody's business, passing some of the boys who had started 15 minutes before me. I probably pushed myself too hard, cuz when I finished the bike part of the race an hour and 26 minutes later, my legs were tired. I knew the run wasn't going to be fun. Not that running is ever fun for me -- haha. After 25 miles on the bike, it's even less fun. I ran pretty much the entire first two miles with a couple of 30 second breaks. I ran/walked the last 4 miles. Here I am, struggling through mile 3:
I finished the 6 miles in 1 hour and 9 minutes. My average pace was 11 minutes, 8 seconds per mile, so I don't think I walked as much as I thought I did. I think it just seemed like I was walking more because it was more than I had wanted to be walking.
I made it across the finish line 3 hours, 24 minutes, and 49 seconds after I started.
Other than some pain in my left kneecap, I felt fine. I was proud of my time. I thought it was going to take me much longer than that. I guess when you have people inspiring you,
things seem a lot easier. Everyone on my team did stellar that day. I am so proud of all of us and so grateful to our coaches and mentors for pushing us the past four months. I have done something I didn't think I could do, and I did it well. I can shamelessly say that I am proud of myself.
Thank you all for you support -- financially and emotionally.
This experience has been challenging and inspiring in so many ways.
There was one experience that was particularly inspiring. It happened on July 22, 2007 when a few members of the team went to visit the Los Angeles Children's Hospital. It was there that I met the most amazing 8 year old boy. His name is Evan, and he is fighting leukemia right now. Meeting him has inspired me to sign up for the Lavaman triathlon on April 6. I will be doing this triathlon with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training again. I will be doing it in honor of Evan and the life he is fighting for. Of course, I need all of your support again for this one! Actually, I'll need even more support for this one because the course is VERY hilly (which I'm no good at), and I'm trying to raise even more money this time for Evan and the thousands of other kids and adults like him. If you want to be inspired by him, visit my website:
Joy4EvantheWarrior
He truly is amazing!
Thank you again!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Pre-race jitters!
The triathlon was on Saturday. I drove up to Monterey on Thursday evening, checked into my lovely hotel room, and chilled out that evening.
Friday was full of business. The team met in the hotel lobby at 11am to bike the 2.5 miles to the event site. We met with Dave Scott (6 time Ironman Champion) who gave us last minute tips and support.
After the meeting it was time to get into our wetsuits and test out the Pacific Grove waters for the first time. It was COLD COLD COLD. My feet went numb and my hands were stinging from the cold. We "warmed up" in the water for 5 minutes and then set off for a swim of one loop of the course. The kelp was INSANE. It was sooo thick, I was literally crawling over it at points. It was draining and a little creepy. We eventually made our way out around the first buoy, only to discover a bunch of jellyfish swimming out there with us. I didn't mind as much as some of the other swimmers who began to panic a bit. On the way back in, I looked back to see how they were, only to discover a seal swimming with us about 30 feet behind. I was so excited. The two other girls were not as happy as me. I guess some people don't appreciate being close to nature. We were invading the animals' home, so from my point of view, we really didn't have any right to be upset.
After the swim, we went to the expo center to pick up our race packets. After a bit of searching, I found my race number. We each received timing chips which you wear around your angle during the race. We had to check these chips in by scanning them and making sure all the information that popped up on the computer was correct. It mistakenly had my age as 30 which I was very quick to correct that I still had another month in my 20s. The man behind the computer said "well, they do it based on the year of the race." I simply informed him that "for my mental health, I thought he should know that I wasn't 30 yet." He looked at me, confused, for a second or two before he laughed. Myla (one of our team's mentors) grabbed my arm and pulled me away before I could protest more.
After we were all situated with our race packets, we then biked one loop of the bike course (6 miles) before we biked the 2.5 miles back to our hotel. My mother and stepfather visited me in my room for a bit before I made my way over to our big pasta party where we were greeted by a line of people making so much noise with cowbells, new year's noisemakers, etc... that my head swayed. We had a lovely dinner, heard some very motivational people speak, and then took the time to recognize everyone's participation in raising $1.4 million for this triathlon alone.
I went back to the hotel, packed my triathlon bag for the next day, put all my race numbers on my bike and helmet and jersey. Then it was time to try to go to sleep... which eventually happened. Which is exactly what I need to do right now. I will post some pics and the race day tomorrow. (I know, I know, the suspense is KILLING you).
Friday was full of business. The team met in the hotel lobby at 11am to bike the 2.5 miles to the event site. We met with Dave Scott (6 time Ironman Champion) who gave us last minute tips and support.
After the meeting it was time to get into our wetsuits and test out the Pacific Grove waters for the first time. It was COLD COLD COLD. My feet went numb and my hands were stinging from the cold. We "warmed up" in the water for 5 minutes and then set off for a swim of one loop of the course. The kelp was INSANE. It was sooo thick, I was literally crawling over it at points. It was draining and a little creepy. We eventually made our way out around the first buoy, only to discover a bunch of jellyfish swimming out there with us. I didn't mind as much as some of the other swimmers who began to panic a bit. On the way back in, I looked back to see how they were, only to discover a seal swimming with us about 30 feet behind. I was so excited. The two other girls were not as happy as me. I guess some people don't appreciate being close to nature. We were invading the animals' home, so from my point of view, we really didn't have any right to be upset.
After the swim, we went to the expo center to pick up our race packets. After a bit of searching, I found my race number. We each received timing chips which you wear around your angle during the race. We had to check these chips in by scanning them and making sure all the information that popped up on the computer was correct. It mistakenly had my age as 30 which I was very quick to correct that I still had another month in my 20s. The man behind the computer said "well, they do it based on the year of the race." I simply informed him that "for my mental health, I thought he should know that I wasn't 30 yet." He looked at me, confused, for a second or two before he laughed. Myla (one of our team's mentors) grabbed my arm and pulled me away before I could protest more.
After we were all situated with our race packets, we then biked one loop of the bike course (6 miles) before we biked the 2.5 miles back to our hotel. My mother and stepfather visited me in my room for a bit before I made my way over to our big pasta party where we were greeted by a line of people making so much noise with cowbells, new year's noisemakers, etc... that my head swayed. We had a lovely dinner, heard some very motivational people speak, and then took the time to recognize everyone's participation in raising $1.4 million for this triathlon alone.
I went back to the hotel, packed my triathlon bag for the next day, put all my race numbers on my bike and helmet and jersey. Then it was time to try to go to sleep... which eventually happened. Which is exactly what I need to do right now. I will post some pics and the race day tomorrow. (I know, I know, the suspense is KILLING you).
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
And the doubt begins to creep in...
Today is four days before my race. I went for a quick 3 mile run this morning. I thought it was going to be quick, anyway. I had such a hard time with it. I barely ran two miles before I had to walk for a bit. I don't know what happened or why it was so stinking hard, but of course it now has me worried that I couldn't even run three miles without having swam or biked. EEK.
I'm chalking it up to a rough day. I have to shake it off. I'll be fine.
I'm chalking it up to a rough day. I have to shake it off. I'll be fine.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Only a few more days...
til the big race day. I can't believe it's here already! This summer FLEW by so fast. Thanks to everyone for helping me reach my fundraising goal! Now all I have to do is focus on the race and finishing with the best of my ability.
This week is pretty relaxed. I just have a 30 minute ride tomorrow, 3 mile run on Tuesday, and one last swim practice on Wednesday. Thursday, I travel up to Monterey. Friday we have a day of activities. We will ride the bike course loop once, we will have a practice swim so that we can get used to not only the water temperature, but also the creepy, slimy kelp that we'll be swimming through. I also have to pick up my race packet on Friday. We're having a big pasta dinner celebration Friday night. Then it's to bed early (even though I know I won't be able to sleep - haha). Race day, I have to be up around 5am to eat breakfast and bike down to the course, set up my transition area, and get ready for the swim. The race begins at 7:15am, although, the Team in Training wave won't be going until last, so I probably won't start until closer to 9am. I'm hoping to be done by 1pm.
I just practiced changing my bike tire, and that went okay. Hopefully I won't get a flat during the race, but if I do, I cannot have anyone help me or else I will be disqualified. I'm glad I got a practice in.
I feel fairly prepared with my transitions and what I'll be eating/drinking. I just have to remind myself to continue nourishing during the race. It's easy to forget and then it can be too late to fully recover. Physically, I think I'm okay. I worry about the run, but if all else fails, I walk. I'll finish.
It's funny because I've been saying this whole time that I'll finish even if I have to crawl across the finish line. The other day, I decided I should read the US Triathlon Association rules, and believe it or not it actually says that crawling is not allowed. HAHA.
I'll let you all know what happens!!
This week is pretty relaxed. I just have a 30 minute ride tomorrow, 3 mile run on Tuesday, and one last swim practice on Wednesday. Thursday, I travel up to Monterey. Friday we have a day of activities. We will ride the bike course loop once, we will have a practice swim so that we can get used to not only the water temperature, but also the creepy, slimy kelp that we'll be swimming through. I also have to pick up my race packet on Friday. We're having a big pasta dinner celebration Friday night. Then it's to bed early (even though I know I won't be able to sleep - haha). Race day, I have to be up around 5am to eat breakfast and bike down to the course, set up my transition area, and get ready for the swim. The race begins at 7:15am, although, the Team in Training wave won't be going until last, so I probably won't start until closer to 9am. I'm hoping to be done by 1pm.
I just practiced changing my bike tire, and that went okay. Hopefully I won't get a flat during the race, but if I do, I cannot have anyone help me or else I will be disqualified. I'm glad I got a practice in.
I feel fairly prepared with my transitions and what I'll be eating/drinking. I just have to remind myself to continue nourishing during the race. It's easy to forget and then it can be too late to fully recover. Physically, I think I'm okay. I worry about the run, but if all else fails, I walk. I'll finish.
It's funny because I've been saying this whole time that I'll finish even if I have to crawl across the finish line. The other day, I decided I should read the US Triathlon Association rules, and believe it or not it actually says that crawling is not allowed. HAHA.
I'll let you all know what happens!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
