After completing my first 70.3 I was determined to redeem myself in my upcoming half-marathon the next month. I really wanted to be closer to the 2-hour mark, if not under. I trained and I trained and even though I started to feel a slight pain in my right foot I just kept running through it. Race day came and the weather was nice and crisp and as I was running through each mile I saw my splits going down. I was running a great race. I finished at 2:08. I was extremely happy with that. I thought that now I would be able to rest up through the holidays and start my training in earnest after the New Year. Wrong!! My friends and training buddies started training for a full marathon in Austin, Texas. As much as I was nervous about running 26.2 miles I thought to myselft that if I want to do a full Ironman one day I might as well see if I could even run a marathon!
So training started ramping up again, and even though I was only adding one mile to my long runs on weekends, I was not getting nearly enough running in during the week. My longest run ended up being 19 miles when I realized that something had to give. My foot was burning by the time my runs were finished and no matter how much I tried to "roll it out", my foot hurt even walking. But being stubborn, I decided it was my shoes that were the problem so I bought new shoes and thought that would solve the problem.....nope. My next run was only 13 miles and on mile 10 of that run my foot was on FIRE!!! It was then that I realized that something was really wrong with my foot and decided to go the doctor.
Sure enough I had a stress fracture on my 3rd metatarsal. No running and I was placed in a boot for four weeks. And being that I did not want to ruin my upcoming triathlon season just so I could run one race, I listened to the doctor's orders. Although let me tell you, it was so hard to sit on the sidelines and cheer for everyone when I wanted to be running in that marathon with my friends. But I wore my boot everywhere and did not run until he gave me the go ahead (about 8 weeks). I finally got the all clear and was able to run again, allbeit in short and easy distances so as not to injury the foot again. It's taken awhile to get my conditioning back, but I'm so happy not to have a lingering injury issue and I have learned my lesson about proper training!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Second Season: Victories and what the heck just happened....
After completeing my first year of triathlon and then going on to complete my first half marathon in the San Antonio Rock 'n Roll marathaton I was more than ready to tackle the uncoming season. I continued to work on my run (since that has proven to be my weak point!!) It was also the year to start increasing my distances. I would still do my favorite sprint races but I added some Olympic distance races, all for the purpose of completing my first 70.3.
I chose the Austin 70.3 race because it is close to home and at the end of the season. I figured I could use the whole summer to prepare for it. I was able to meet up with a training group during the middle of the week to run and I feel that that really helped me improve. For my first race of the season I actually took 2nd in my age group and knocked 11 minutes off my time from the previous year. I was estatic!! You would have thought that I won the lottery or something. My first medal!! After that, for each race I would set a goal and work to try to achieve that goal. I came pretty close the all the goals I set except for some small exceptions.
My first Olympic race was set for Memorial Day in Austin and I felt like I had put in some good, hard training for it. I was feeling more comfortable in my wetsuit in open water and my bike was getting faster and my running was consistent. Aside from feeling strong on the bike, my swim felt miserably long and by mile 3 of the run I was wondering why I signed up for "this stupid race". But all those thoughts were pushed aside when I crossed the finish line and chugged the cold water bottle that was given to me. My official finish time was 3:36. Not necessarily the result I was looking for but, hey, I finished. Later that night we learned that the swim course was mismarked by 300 meters and the run was 1/2 mile longer than it should have been!! For the 20th anniverssary for this race you would have thought that they would know how to mark the course, right?? Anyway, that made me feel marginally better about my slow time.
I threw in a couple more sprint races before my next Olympic race and did pretty well in those. Usually coming in around 5th in my age group which really made me feel good, considering the girls in my group are super fast!! And then the race that will haunt me for the rest of my life - The Small Texan Tri in Boerne. It's at the end of July and in Texas that means it's HOT!!! But hey, I train at Boerne lake every weekend and ride the race course, piece of cake!! Wrong!! As I take off on the swim I realize I am quickly being left behind. My swim just isn't going as well as it should be. I get out of the water and run into transition to see that there's only a couple other bikes left on the racks. This is not a good sign since the bike is not going to be strong point because it's a very hilly course and my best time on it on a good day is about 2 hours. So I get going on the bike and it's just as bad as I thought it was going to be but I finish it and set out on the run. By now so many people are finished that I can't seem to find the start of the run course. Luckily a spectator saw that I was desperately trying to find the start, pointed me in the right direction. By now it is super hot. I'm watching people pass me as they head for the finish line and I'm telling myself that I've only got an hour to go. The run course turned out to be as hilly as the bike course. I followed the strategy of walking up the hills and running the flats and downhills. I hit the turn around and as I am making my way back I start counting the people that are behind me (not that hard to do since I thought I was the last one on the course!) I think I got the number up to 8 people. Total time to complete my hell race: 4:02!! I will be doing this one again and trying to redeem myselft next year!!! My only saving grace was that there was one other person in my age group behind me so I did not come in last in my age group. I gotta find the hope somewhere!!
Now my training turned toward my half-iron and one more Olympic race on Labor Day. That race turned out to be one of the highlights of the season for me. The weather was nicer and the course was marked correctly this time. I had a better handle on my nutritional needs and I felt really strong on this race. My finish time was - 3:06. I was very pleased with that! October was quickly approaching and I was trying to get as much training in as I was able to. I work full-time in the day and go to school in the evenings four days a week, so finding time to train is not always easy. But because of this I know that I'm not going to be as fast as some of my other friends who are able to follow their training plans to a T and I'm okay with that. For now, racing and finishing is enough for me. It actually works as a great stress reliever and I takes my mind off school, which is always a good thing!
Half-ironman weekend came and I was super excited, nervous, and everything else. My main concern was not making the cut-off time on the bike. I don't know why, but that was what I was worried about. I hadn't gotten as many long rides as I should have during training so I was worried 56 miles would kill me. I shouldn't have worried, I finished the bike in 3:35, way under the 4:30 I had given myself to finish! And I hit my other goal of finishing under 3 hours on the 1/2 marathon at 2:45 and had a total time of 7:16! Almost smack dab in the middle of the 7 and 7:30 time I wanted to finish in. I felt great after the race and was so excited to cross that finish line that I wanted to make sure that I had crossed every timing mat before I stopped running that one of the volunteers had to tell me it was okay to stop running :)
I am now able to say that I am a "finisher" of a Half-Ironman!!
I chose the Austin 70.3 race because it is close to home and at the end of the season. I figured I could use the whole summer to prepare for it. I was able to meet up with a training group during the middle of the week to run and I feel that that really helped me improve. For my first race of the season I actually took 2nd in my age group and knocked 11 minutes off my time from the previous year. I was estatic!! You would have thought that I won the lottery or something. My first medal!! After that, for each race I would set a goal and work to try to achieve that goal. I came pretty close the all the goals I set except for some small exceptions.
My first Olympic race was set for Memorial Day in Austin and I felt like I had put in some good, hard training for it. I was feeling more comfortable in my wetsuit in open water and my bike was getting faster and my running was consistent. Aside from feeling strong on the bike, my swim felt miserably long and by mile 3 of the run I was wondering why I signed up for "this stupid race". But all those thoughts were pushed aside when I crossed the finish line and chugged the cold water bottle that was given to me. My official finish time was 3:36. Not necessarily the result I was looking for but, hey, I finished. Later that night we learned that the swim course was mismarked by 300 meters and the run was 1/2 mile longer than it should have been!! For the 20th anniverssary for this race you would have thought that they would know how to mark the course, right?? Anyway, that made me feel marginally better about my slow time.
I threw in a couple more sprint races before my next Olympic race and did pretty well in those. Usually coming in around 5th in my age group which really made me feel good, considering the girls in my group are super fast!! And then the race that will haunt me for the rest of my life - The Small Texan Tri in Boerne. It's at the end of July and in Texas that means it's HOT!!! But hey, I train at Boerne lake every weekend and ride the race course, piece of cake!! Wrong!! As I take off on the swim I realize I am quickly being left behind. My swim just isn't going as well as it should be. I get out of the water and run into transition to see that there's only a couple other bikes left on the racks. This is not a good sign since the bike is not going to be strong point because it's a very hilly course and my best time on it on a good day is about 2 hours. So I get going on the bike and it's just as bad as I thought it was going to be but I finish it and set out on the run. By now so many people are finished that I can't seem to find the start of the run course. Luckily a spectator saw that I was desperately trying to find the start, pointed me in the right direction. By now it is super hot. I'm watching people pass me as they head for the finish line and I'm telling myself that I've only got an hour to go. The run course turned out to be as hilly as the bike course. I followed the strategy of walking up the hills and running the flats and downhills. I hit the turn around and as I am making my way back I start counting the people that are behind me (not that hard to do since I thought I was the last one on the course!) I think I got the number up to 8 people. Total time to complete my hell race: 4:02!! I will be doing this one again and trying to redeem myselft next year!!! My only saving grace was that there was one other person in my age group behind me so I did not come in last in my age group. I gotta find the hope somewhere!!
Now my training turned toward my half-iron and one more Olympic race on Labor Day. That race turned out to be one of the highlights of the season for me. The weather was nicer and the course was marked correctly this time. I had a better handle on my nutritional needs and I felt really strong on this race. My finish time was - 3:06. I was very pleased with that! October was quickly approaching and I was trying to get as much training in as I was able to. I work full-time in the day and go to school in the evenings four days a week, so finding time to train is not always easy. But because of this I know that I'm not going to be as fast as some of my other friends who are able to follow their training plans to a T and I'm okay with that. For now, racing and finishing is enough for me. It actually works as a great stress reliever and I takes my mind off school, which is always a good thing!
Half-ironman weekend came and I was super excited, nervous, and everything else. My main concern was not making the cut-off time on the bike. I don't know why, but that was what I was worried about. I hadn't gotten as many long rides as I should have during training so I was worried 56 miles would kill me. I shouldn't have worried, I finished the bike in 3:35, way under the 4:30 I had given myself to finish! And I hit my other goal of finishing under 3 hours on the 1/2 marathon at 2:45 and had a total time of 7:16! Almost smack dab in the middle of the 7 and 7:30 time I wanted to finish in. I felt great after the race and was so excited to cross that finish line that I wanted to make sure that I had crossed every timing mat before I stopped running that one of the volunteers had to tell me it was okay to stop running :)
I am now able to say that I am a "finisher" of a Half-Ironman!!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
How I got started
As I start my third year of triathlon, I want to reflect on how I got into the sport and how it has changed my life. It all started when my husband said he wanted to do a triathlon. I remember looking at him and asking him, "That's the swimming- biking- running thing, right?" We already had road bikes and had been cycling for a couple of years but we were both living a pretty sedentary lifestyle and, I for one, had the pounds packing on.
He mentioned this in January, so as I began to do my research I saw that most of the races started up in April and May. We found a local shop that sponsered a series of races and I decided that if we were going to do it we might as well dive in and do it. I signed us up for The Windcrest Freshman Triathlon that caters to first timers. Brian, my husband, was surprized that I signed myself up as well. He didn't think that I would want to do one and he was proud that I signed up as well.
I was so nervous on race morning. The anticipation was a killer as we waited to get into the pool to start our swim. When I did get in the water, I thought I was going to die on the 200m swim. I was so out of breath and my body felt so heavy when I got out of the water and tried to run to my bike! I sat down and put socks on my feet before putting on my bike shoes. My first T1 was 2:14!! The bike was a two-loop course of five miles each and went OK. Then it was time for the run - my lungs felt like they were going to explode and my legs felt all wobbly from being on the bike. I think I ran maybe the first 10 yards of a 2 mile run and then I had to walk. And then an amazing thing happend, people who were passing me were telling me "Good Job" and "You're almost there". It gave me such a lift that I was able to start running again. I crossed the finish line and promptly ran to the bathroom and puked my guts out. It was the best experience ever!! I found my husband and said, "When's the next one?" I wanted to race again the next weekend I was so hooked.
For my first season I was nowhere near the top of my age group but it didn't matter. To me, this was about personal improvement and pushing myself to limits that I didn't even know I had. I've made many new friends and feel so much healthier and stronger. Now instead of just sitting around I'm out swimming across a lake or biking or running with my friends. I'm am so glad that we discovered this sport and hope that I can continue to do it for as long as my body lets me.
He mentioned this in January, so as I began to do my research I saw that most of the races started up in April and May. We found a local shop that sponsered a series of races and I decided that if we were going to do it we might as well dive in and do it. I signed us up for The Windcrest Freshman Triathlon that caters to first timers. Brian, my husband, was surprized that I signed myself up as well. He didn't think that I would want to do one and he was proud that I signed up as well.
I was so nervous on race morning. The anticipation was a killer as we waited to get into the pool to start our swim. When I did get in the water, I thought I was going to die on the 200m swim. I was so out of breath and my body felt so heavy when I got out of the water and tried to run to my bike! I sat down and put socks on my feet before putting on my bike shoes. My first T1 was 2:14!! The bike was a two-loop course of five miles each and went OK. Then it was time for the run - my lungs felt like they were going to explode and my legs felt all wobbly from being on the bike. I think I ran maybe the first 10 yards of a 2 mile run and then I had to walk. And then an amazing thing happend, people who were passing me were telling me "Good Job" and "You're almost there". It gave me such a lift that I was able to start running again. I crossed the finish line and promptly ran to the bathroom and puked my guts out. It was the best experience ever!! I found my husband and said, "When's the next one?" I wanted to race again the next weekend I was so hooked.
For my first season I was nowhere near the top of my age group but it didn't matter. To me, this was about personal improvement and pushing myself to limits that I didn't even know I had. I've made many new friends and feel so much healthier and stronger. Now instead of just sitting around I'm out swimming across a lake or biking or running with my friends. I'm am so glad that we discovered this sport and hope that I can continue to do it for as long as my body lets me.
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