The Race That Wasn’t…SA RnR 2016

At the end of September, after my last tri, I’ve been really focusing on my run training because I was supposed to be doing the full marathon in Houston in January. I was going to use the SA RnR 13.1 as a warm-up to see where I was. Then things changed and my friend I was gonna run the marathon with needed to defer her race. I was not full-heartedly committed to running the marathon in the first place, so when I got this news, I quickly changed my goal from the full in Houston to the half. Now the goal is to see if I can get a PR for my 13.1.

Quick snap at the expo

Such high hopes I was gonna be able to run.

I was excited to see the new course for SA since it was a supposedly flatter, faster course. Alas, the weekend before the race I felt the dreaded nasal pressure and lethargy setting in. I was getting sick. I tried my best to talk my body out of it and starting downing the liquids and eating all the food to try to kick it out of my system, but no such luck. Luckily, in the grand scheme of things, it was a relatively minor head cold and by Saturday I was actually feeling pretty good and was looking forward to running on Sunday. I went to packet pick-up and did a quick walk through of the expo, all the while trying to stay positive that the rain that had been lingering around would miraculously stop for race morning.

Race morning came bright and early and I looked at the radar and what I saw was not encouraging. It looked like it was going to start to rain right when the race was supposed to begin. I was feeling great and I knew I would be able to run, but did I want to risk making myself having a relapse or getting sicker when Houston was only 6 weeks out? After much debate with Brian in our warm, comfy bed, I decided to call it. I texted Aixa and told her we were out – she didn’t provide much resistance since she was not fond of the wet weather either. I then texted my coach and told her I was out and wished her good luck and promptly went back to bed!

So, that’s my race that didn’t happen. I’m bummed I missed out but I’m now looking forward to Houston in January! 

Kerrville Tri - 2016

This race is a staple on my race calendar. I've done it every year since 2011 and I really love it. This year was even more fun with Kris and Linda racing! It always seems like there's a threat of bad weather this weekend and this year was no exception. But instead of getting lucky like we normally do we had to deal with scattered rain showers pretty much throughout the whole race.

Also, this was the first year it was NOT wetsuit legal! That didn't really bother me since I really hate swimming in my wetsuit and I actually felt pretty strong during my swim and I ended up having the exact same swim time from last year when I wore my wetsuit. Go figure!

The drizzles started as I headed out on the bike so I knew this might affect my plan of going balls out on the bike. My goal was to try to match or beat my time from last year. I took the corners slow and safe and tried to hammer the straightaways and hope for the best. I stayed upright but I was 6 mins slower, so my goal modified a bit as I headed out on the run.

I had messed up my timer on my watch so all it was showing me was a total running time but no splits or pace. So I had to just use the running time and the mile markers to gauge my pace on the run. My new goal turned into how far under 3 hrs can I finish this race. I knew my goal of hitting 2:45 was gone after losing those 6 mins on the bike. I was actually pretty impressed with myself that I was able to have such a good run just going by feel. My run was only 2 mins slower than last year but I still ran a 8.49 pace.

So overall I finished in 2:55, around 7  mins slower than the previous year. But I'm still extremely happy with my race and how mentally I stayed positive and present throughout. Another plus of doing the quarter distance race on this day was the downpour that hit the half iron man athletes on the run. They basically had to run through mini rivers! Kudos to all those who finished!

I really love a race that lights a fire in me and this race did that. Gotta work on my 2017 race calendar and see what we come up with!

Dam 09 Tri

Not much to say except sprints are hard but so much fun! Had a blast racing through Alamo Heights and stoked I was able to walk away with 3rd in my age group!

                           Swim

                            Bike

                              Run!

  Post race with my coach Brandi at Lulu

Racing again after forever!!!

I had an absolute blast at the NYC Triathlon! Where else can you swim in the Hudson, ride on a closed off Henry Hudson Parkway, and run through Central Park?

Swim – 1500m; 22:05 minutes (1:19/100yd) Hahahaha!

There’s a strong current in the point-to-point swim so I literally had my fastest swim time for the 1500 m I’ve ever had. This year the water was supposedly the cleanest it’s been in years (for which I’m grateful for) but I swear I hit two dead bodies and one possibly live one. There was a section of water that stank and I remember thinking to myself, “How can water stink?” LOL

After exiting the swim, there’s a long run back to transition and I will admit I am a wimp when it comes to running barefoot on anything that’s not carpeted or padded. I am proud to say that I did run/shuffle the whole back to my bike even though my T1 time is pathetically slow. And I’m sorry to the Elite racer I ran into as she was headed out for the run. My swim addled mind couldn’t figure out which way left was. 

Bike – 40k; 1:24:40 (17.6 mph) – Pretty conservative bike, but I think it saved my legs for the run.

I hopped on my bike and took off on the course, which I knew had a short, steep uphill right out of T1 and I was prepared for the people around me to stop. What I wasn’t prepared for was how bumpy and rutted it was. Luckily the folks around me all rode up the hill and we all maneuvered around the bumps without running into each other. This was a super fun bike course; completely closed off to traffic on the Henry Hudson Parkway. Slightly hilly on the way out, you get to ride through a toll booth and over a bridge. You’ve got some awesome descents where you can pick up the pace before you turn around and go up one slow, steady climb before it’s mostly downhill all the way back. One thing that surprised me by the riders in NYC - they either don’t know how or don’t like to descend. Every time we hit one, they would sit up and coast! I pulled over to the left and shouted “On your left” as I would pass groups of people just cruising. Crazy! Then of course I hit a bump pretty hard in the road and I was like, “Shit, I just passed all these people like a douche and I’m gonna be here on the side of the road with a flat.” Luckily, that didn’t happen and I was able to keep on riding.

After cruising back into the T2 I was feeling great and wondered how the run was going to feel. The temperature in NYC was very warm and the day before we had all been notified that the run had been cut down to 5.22 miles due to the heat. Of course, I was like this isn’t heat people – come race in Texas! But this race is really big (~4,000 racers) and there are two transition groups. I was lucky to be in the first one, as the second transition group takes off 20 minutes after the last wave in the first one. I image that they had to deal with the heat way more than I did.

Run – 5.22 miles 45:13 minutes (8.47 min/mi)

I had only done a few bricks since getting back into training from my hand injury and I was really curious to see how I would hold up. I told my coach that I wasn’t really trying to hit any certain numbers, I just wanted to see how racing felt. Surprisingly, the legs felt decent when I started the run and that gave me a huge boost of confidence. The run went down 72nd Street and it’s closed off and people are lined up along the barricades cheering for all the runners. It was super cool looking around at the tall buildings and seeing the landmarks in NYC and it just made me super excited to be there. Then we entered Central Park and I’m keeping a great pace and it was so hard to do because it was so easy to get distracted by seeing all the new stuff. A few times I told myself to look around and see the sights of running in Central Park! The course was pretty much open and it was neat to see how many other runners and bikers and roller bladers were in the park doing their normal weekend routine. My watch kept beeping off the miles and finally I’m down to one mile to go and I’m still feeling great. I had forgotten to look at my watch for the last two miles so I really have no idea what my pace is or how I’m doing but I’m having so much fun I don’t really care. Then I’m turning into the barricades towards the finish line! As I crossed the finish line and walked through the volunteers and other racers I couldn’t help but say out loud to the people next to me that I felt like I could have run that extra 1 mile. I don’t think everyone agreed with me but I was so happy to be feeling great!

Total time – 2:43:57 – Overall, I’m very happy with this time. I said I had wanted to be at 2:45 and even though the run was cut short, I would have only gone over a few minutes. That’s a win to me!

I found Brian and Aixa waiting for me by the food tables and we were all happy with our races and excited to talk about our adventures. I’m so happy I finally decided to listen to Aixa and do this race. It’s extremely well put on and super coordinated, especially for being in such a big city as NYC. It’s definitely one that I would love to do again one day and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a fun race in a city that has tons to do!

World Trade Center Memorial

Brooklyn Bridge

Times Square and the New Year's Eve ball drop way up there

The Garden baby!

10 Weeks Later

Fun times hanging at Siclovia

I can't believe it's been 10 weeks since I broke my hand and fractured my wrist. Looking at that number sort of makes me sick and wistful at all the time I've been missing to make myself a better, stronger athlete. I know I have lost a lot of fitness and getting myself motivated to stick to a regular workout routine has been challenging. It's hard to do when the numbers you're used to seeing seem so far out of reach. My heart rate is sky high running at paces that used to be conversational but that's getting better when I consistently run. The pool has especially been hard to cope with because I know what I am capable of in the water and seeing my 100 m splits makes me what to crack my head against the pool wall. I'm getting in a decent 1000-1200 m and I even managed a 1600 m swim last week. My pull is very weak on the left side and I don't have a great catch position yet for my wrist but I'm working on it.  

Go Spurs Go!

While it has been nice to be carefree and footloose with my time, I'm ready to have workouts to look forward/dread to do. My wrist is my limiting factor right now because it's not completely weight bearing yet and still very tender when I try to ride my bike and put my weight on it and hit bumps in the road. I just want to be on the safe side and not eff it up by wrecking again. I'm doing all that I can to push through it because I have a race to train for:  NYC Tri! So I made the decision to get back on plan May 1. Even if all my bike rides have to be on my trainer or my mtb I'm getting to that start line.

I thought I was going to die on this run trying to keep up with Aixa

Luckenbach 5k - 2nd in AG (with hardly any training!)

First longish outdoor bike ride since the break! 8 1/2 miles...lol

One week post-op

After my surgery I took the rest of the week off of work and planned to go back in on Tuesday. I made it on Tuesday but it turned out to be too much too soon. I have my two-week follow up appointment on Monday and I'm hoping I'll be able to be more active then and I won't have to stay out until the pins are removed. So for now I'm going to continue to catch up on shows on my DVR and rest, rest, rest! My animals are loving the company!

I'm managing to get along slowly but surely with one hand. It's pretty amazing how quickly you can adapt! 

  

Post surgery with Brian, Amazon Prime Now is awesome when you can't drive, and shower time is not fun.

 Hand before and after surgery. Three pins!

When you hit a bump in the road...or ride off the road

 It started with a bike ride with my husband on a pretty day. I was excited to finally have the sun out and be out on my bike starting my training for Galveston 70.3. We were 45 minutes out from the car and I got distracted for 2 seconds. When I looked back at the road I was heading towards a pretty sharp drop off in the asphalt. I braced myself as my front tire went off the road and I told myself to just ride it out. Unfortunately, the front tire slipped and I slammed back down on the road. Apparently I landed on my left hand and banged my head on the road. I honestly do not remember landing on my hand. My first concern was my head as it had bounced off the road. After taking stock of all my body parts I knew something was seriously wrong with my wrist/hand. X-rays confirmed a wrist and 4th and 5th metacarpal fractures. After a visit to a specialist, worst fears were realized - surgery.

I've never had surgery before, never been put under, and I'll admit I'm nervous. I know I'm super lucky I don't have worse injuries and I'm so grateful for that. I don't know if the rest of my early season races are going to happen but there will always be another race. I'm so grateful for everyone's well wishes. They really do mean a lot to me.

So everyone run, ride, or swim an extra bit for me please! I can't wait to be able to be back at it myself!

3M Half Marathon

Last year Aixa got with me and asked if I wanted to do a double weekend race to celebrate her 40th birthday. Obviously I told her of course! It worked out that we could do the Houston half marathon and then 3M since they didn't fall on the same weekend this year. 3M is usually the on the same weekend as Aixa's birthday so it's fun to go race and then celebrate her birthday.

Well, it turned out that only Brian and I ended up doing the double weekend races because Aixa overslept race morning!!! I think it was an elaborate year-long con on her part, but I do feel bad that she missed the race. We drive up to Austin on race morning so she more than likely would not have made it up there in time for the race, or if she did, it would have been too hectic of a morning for her to enjoy the race. Not really an ideal way to start off your race! Race morning came cold and early (again) and we got there with just enough time to drop off gear bags, hit the port-o-pots, and get to the start line. I'll admit that I was a little unsure of how my day was going to go because my plan had been to hang onto Aixa's heels since I knew what her goal for the race was. I also knew Brian was going to run his own race and there was no way I could keep up with him. Plus, I lost the ear piece for my headphone so I ended up having to run sans music. Not necessarily ideal to be in your own head for the whole race but there was nothing I could do about it then.

So as I crossed the start line I just started my Garmin and told myself to run. This was my second attempt to crack 1:50 and I think I had told myself I need to average between 8:15 and 8:20 minute miles. The first couple of miles on this course is straight downhill before you hit some rollers so I was super stoked to see mile 2 was 7:58. It also freaked me out because I knew I couldn't hold that fast of a pace so I told myself to back off a bit. The next few miles were right were I wanted to be at 8:11 and I was feeling good. My legs could feel a little bit of fatigue from last weekend's race but they weren't too bad. I had placed myself between the 1:45 and 1:50 pace groups and I really had no idea where I was in relation to them because I hadn't seen any pacers the whole race. Around mile 9 I started to hear people on the sidelines yelling, "Go 1:50". This really almost messed with my head. And then I could hear the pacer yelling to her runners how far ahead of the pace they were and giving them tips on what to do on the next section of the course. I so didn't want to hear this!!! My pace was falling off the 8:20's and was now in the high 8:20's and I was getting frustrated. Mile 10 came and I told myself NOT to let the 1:50's catch me. I picked up the pace again and was happy to see it drop down into the 8:10's for mile 11. One more big hill before the downhill and then the hill to the finish line. I pumped my way up that hill and slowly but surely I heard the cheers for the 1:50's falling a little bit further behind me. Mile 12 was back down under 8:10. I knew I just had to hang on for one more mile. I started to get looks from other runners and I passed them because of the dying animal sounds I was making as I tried to get oxygen into my lungs. I didn't care. I WANTED that 1:49 I knew I was on pace for.

Super happy finisher!

That last stretch to the finish line was painful. It felt like I could barely pick up my feet to get me to cross that finish line but finally it was there! I stopped my Garmin and I saw the magic numbers I wanted to see:  1:49:21! I always call 3M my "assisted" half marathon PR race but after running it again, I'm going to take it as a legitimate race PR. It may have a mostly downhill elevation but you do have some legit hills on the course that can take you by surprise if you're not ready for them. I'm going to enjoy this milestone for a bit before I set new goals. Honestly, I think I'm sort of terrified to set a new goal so I just want to enjoy this one for a bit. :)

 

Houston 13.1

The first race of 2016 is in the books! I absolutely loved running the Houston half marathon. This race is so well organized. From packet pick up, to race morning, to the post race festivities. I loved all the support on the course and, of course, the run course itself was a dream - flat, flat, flat!

After my Rock n Roll race, I decided to see if I could crack 1:50 in Houston. What better course to try it on than a super flat course. Unfortunately, I had some training setbacks before Christmas and up to New Year's that caused me to miss a lot of training runs. My car started to breakdown so Brian and I had to go car shopping and I started having really bad migraine headaches. I'm not sure if the headaches were related to the stress of having to buy a car and having to have a car payment for the first time in over 8 years, but luckily I was feeling better race week and we got the car just in time so we didn't have to get a rental. I decided to just see what I had on race day and go for it.

Meet Snow White!

After Expo fun and meeting up with the A-team to head over to their friend's house where we were staying, race morning came bright and early and COLD! Unfortunately we were late for our corral A start so we ran into corral B and tried to push ourselves as close to the front as we could. Literally five minutes later we were off and running! I had some technical difficulties with my music the first mile of the race so I dropped back from Aixa and Brian. I was able to get it fixed and I was able to catch up with them. Not sure if that was the mile where I lost all the time but I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Ironman? Lol

I was feeling good right off the bat, which was a nice change from how I felt at Rock n Roll. The miles began ticking off and I was getting nervous because more times than not when I would look down at my Garmin I would see my pace to be in the high 7's. I know there is no way I could maintain that pace so I would try to reel myself in. Brian was there for me the whole time. He asked me what pace I wanted to be at and he said "Come with me". I went. He really is the most excellent run pacer. I don't know how he can keep such a steady pace outside. I'm always up and down and bursting and busting. He just calmly runs. Maybe I'll learn that one day.

The last three miles of the race came and he could tell that I was starting to sag. We run together enough he can tell by my breathing when I'm starting to struggle. He started barking orders at me to lift up my chin, drop my shoulders, breath. Instead of getting frustrated like I normally do, I listened. And OMG it worked. I lifted my eyes up to the horizon instead of on the road and put my chest out. It helped get me through the next 2 miles and forget about the lower back pain I was having. He started to get the crowd cheering by raising his arms and cheering on the other runners. It was so much fun and he was so good about trying to get me to my goal. It was so close, but I just didn't have it left in me. I held on as best as I could so I wouldn't loose too much time and crossed the finish line with a 3rd best half marathon finish of 1:52:15.

Done! Warming up!

So completely happy with this race and I definitely will be back! ;)

San Antonio Rock n Roll 13.1

I think this will be a regular race on the rotation. It's just a super convenient local race that is a lot of fun and with early registration or a coupon code isn't too pricey.

Pre-race pic with the A-team. Brian had already moved his way to the front of the crowd so he crush his race.

Going into this race I wanted to see if I could hit or better my time I did at Seawheeze (1:54). I knew where the hills on the course were this year and I was determined to not let them suck the life out of me like they did the year before. It also helped seeing these fabulous faces at the top of the hill cheering us on!

Kris, Linda, and Alex giving us great big PINK cheers!

Considering how I felt during the first mile or two of this race and how I was ready to give up and either quit or just slow down, I really pulled one out of the bag at this race. I finally got some water in me after the 2nd mile and I realized my pace was showing me that I DID have something to prove. The 8 minute miles kept clicking off and with each step I gradually felt better and stronger. Those hills that killed me last year were just little humps in the road to my half marathon PR!! I came into the finish line at 1:51:22!!! A 3 minute improvement on my Seawheeze time and 10 minutes faster than I did the race last year.

I gotta give a shout out to my husband for being such a sport and letting me drag him out to train and race all over the place. To my friends and most favorite training partners who always encourage me and push me to the limit and then some when I doubt myself. And to Brandi, my coach, for giving me some killer workouts that make me dread getting up in the morning but make me feel so much stronger after I am done with them.

Post-race selfie. Three happy finishers!

Oilman 70.3 Race report

After having raced only short-course races during the beginning half of the 2015 season, I decided sometime during the summer that I was ready to tackle another 70.3 for my end-of-the-season race. I picked Oilman because it had been a couple years since I had done it and I really, really liked the venue. Halloween weekend came and Brian and I packed up the car and headed to Conroe to stay at the race host hotel, La Torretta Resort and Spa. Even if you don't want to race, this place is super nice to stay and I would highly recommend a visit here.

I was excited for many reasons going into this race:  to see where my fitness was; meeting some new Smash teamies (Jenny, Gemma, and Veronica) who were going to be at the race; and meeting up with A-team Part Deux (Karen and Anthony), who were both also racing.

Photo shoot for Chloe & her racing shoes:)

We got to Conroe early, picked up all the race stuff, did a quick scouting of the new swim and run courses, met up with Karen and Anthony for a quick dinner, and then it was back to the hotel room to get up off the feet and relax.

Me and Super Gemma!

Race morning came and it was a bit chilly and the clouds looked ominous. I was hoping that they would blow over the night before but no such luck. Looked like it might be a little wet for the bike ride. At transition that morning I got to meet Jenny, Gemma, and Veronica and we chatted for a bit looking fabulous in our Smash kits. :) Setting up my bike and gear in transition I was very unsure of what I would wear for the bike. I was worried about being cold on the bike and I was running around asking people what they were going to wear on the bike and left with somewhat of a plan for what to wear.

For once, I was the first wave to start so I was super nervous about being late but I got down to the start line with plenty of time to get in position and "visualize" my race one last time.

Overall, I am so extremely satisfied with my race. After DNF'ing at Austin last year, it was so nice to come out and push hard at a 70.3 event and still have an amazing time doing it. My swim wasn't where I wanted it to be, but I couldn't ask for a better bike or run. I felt like I was getting pushed around on the swim and had to correct myself a few times to stay on track. Not my best swim, but not my worst either. I opted to just wear by tri kit on the bike and I think that was the best choice. It was a little chilly when the rain started coming down on us on the bike but when it stopped the weather was perfect. There was a slight headwind on the way out but I thought I stayed in a pretty good mental state and stayed safe on the course, avoiding slick white lines. At the turn around the sun peeked out and the roads were drying up and I had a tailwind blow me back in. I would have loved to have gone sub 3 hrs on the bike but maybe that's what saved my legs for the run.

My face when I saw Aixa!

The best surprise was when I pulled into T2 and saw Aixa on the sidelines cheering me on! The original A-team had made the trip to Conroe to cheer us all on!!! That was such a super nice surprise!

I started my run and was able to keep a nice clip right off the bat. It was amazing to feel so fresh after biking 56 miles. As the miles kept ticking off in the 8's I began to get excited that this was the race where I would finally crack the 2 hr half marathon time in a triathlon. I tried not to get too excited but also kept pushing the pace hoping I wouldn't implode. The course was three loops and wound in and out and around the golf course. It was mainly flat but there were some sections where the camber of the trail was so tilted that it made it hard to run. The support on the course was great and I got to see Brian and Aixa multiple times during the run. I fought hard the last 2-3 miles to not let my pace drop off too much and I crossed the finish line completely exhausted but extremely happy with my effort.

DONE!!! Almost a 1 min PR!

Happy finishers!

Swim - 43:41
T1 -2:37
Bike - 3:00:39
T2 - 1:44
Run - 1:57:12
Total - 5:45:54

Kerrville Olympic Tri

I constantly find myself falling behind on this "blog" thing but I really like sharing my stories, so if you don't mind reading about my adventures a few months after they have happened, I'm going to keep sharing. It allows me relieve all the moments again (good and bad) and I enjoy looking back on the experience and seeing if my feelings have changed since the race took place.

The Kerrville Tri is one of my favorite races and I've done it every year since it began (hint, hint - I need like a free race registration or something). One thing I did learn after last years race is that I definitely ENJOY the Olympic distance race at this venue over the half-ironman distance race. I've done the half three times and the Olympic twice and I definitely have more fun doing the Olympic.

I went into this years race with some high goals. I really, really, really wanted to place. I've been so close before and I felt like my training going into this race was strong and I was feeling good so I wanted to leave it all out there. As the race started, I felt great from the get go. I completed the swim, bike, and run without a hitch and I was very happy with my overall performance and my final time. Since it was a time-trial start I had no idea who was ahead or behind me and I kept checking my place on the computer to see if anyone who started behind me overtook me. I have to give a huge shout-out to the girl who won my AG because she ended up being the overall winner and that bumped me up into 3rd in my AG!! FINALLY - I placed in a super competitive Kerrville race!!!

Swim:  21:58 - still need to get faster in open water
T1:  2:45
Bike:  1:26:32 (20.1 mph)
T2:  2:40
Run:  54:36 (8.32 min/mi)
Total:  2:48:33

I was so super happy to be able to run that fast after having a very strong for me bike leg. I PR'd my Olympic distance time by 7 mins and got a podium finish! Great day indeed!

I loved the new 1-loop run course!

Podium!