tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22005492440596488372024-03-19T15:09:41.209-07:00Orissa's Triathlon AdventuresOrissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-14652742604904468662019-03-23T15:52:00.001-07:002019-03-23T15:53:02.349-07:00Phoenix-Mesa MarathonAfter a 5 year hiatus, I signed up and successfully trained for and completed a full marathon after swearing off the distance. Let me back up a bit...<br />
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While wondering around REI following Brian while he shopped for some new gear for his bike, a text came through our group chat from Kris that she was signed up for the Phoenix marathon and we should all come and do it with her. At first I scoffed and was like yeah, right. Then after asking her a few questions about the race, it suddenly didn't seem like such a bad idea. I asked Brian if he would mind if I went to Phoenix in February, and he said no, and I signed up for the race right there in REI!<br />
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This was the end of October. The race was in the beginning of February. I texted my coach and told her what I did and I'm sure her first reaction was, "Oh boy. Here we go again!" But she was cool and said she would get a plan ready for me and asked what my goals were. I went pretty lofty with the goals, since I knew this could be a PR course and she made my plan accordingly.<br />
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As my training progressed, I realized I was not hitting my paces for my lofty goal, so coach and I adjusted my times, and I realized that I would be happy to finish anywhere between 4:30 and 4:45. (Honestly, I was super worried that I wouldn't finish in under 5 hours.)<br />
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I had a few terrible horrible runs that made me question if I would even finish the race, and I had a few fantastic run that really gave me confidence that this race was doable. I thought training for a marathon alone would be hard for me to do, but Brian made sure I got out and did my long runs and he even routed some of my long runs and dropped me off so I could run point to point and kind of mimic the race course. At the beginning of each long run, I would think to myself that I didn't know if I would be able to complete it. About halfway through most of these runs, I found myself getting lost in the rhythm of the run and I would feel this sense of calmness and happiness flow through me. I actually began to look forward to these solo long runs and the peace they brought to me mentally.<br />
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Before I knew it, race week was here and I met Kris in Phoenix where we did packet pickup and did some course recon. I was surprised by how beautiful the first 10-11 miles of the course were and I began to get excited about race day. I slept great the night before the race, which is unusual, so when that 4 a.m. alarm clock came, I felt ready to go. We got ready and headed over to the buses that would take us to the start line. There were a couple little pre-race hiccups that occurred that caused us to start about 10 minutes after the start of the race that included me leaving my headphones in my gear drop bag! Kris told me to go back and get them, but I didn't want to waste any more time, so I said I would just run without them. This really freaked me out, but it ended up being fine and it turned out I didn't need the distraction of the music after all.<br />
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The race starts just as the sun is coming up, so as you are running down the hill you get to see the beautiful scenery of the Usery Mountains appear before your eyes. Like I said earlier, it was absolutely beautiful and I feel bad for the people who sign up to do the half marathon because they don't get to see any of this. My goal was to run conservatively the first 22 miles and then if I had any gas left in the tank to push the last 4 miles. I didn't run as slow as I would have liked but I think the mostly downhill elevation helped me not feel too tired. When I hit the half-way mark I was still feeling good and I saw that I was on pace to be under my goal of 4:30! At this point, the course becomes pancake flat and after a few miles of this you can really feel your legs working. I was grateful for any little change in elevation on the course because it felt good to work different muscles in my legs.<br />
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Mile 22 came and I was no longer on pace to beat my goal, but I was still on pace to be in between my goal time. I knew it was time to push and use up whatever gas was left in the tank, but there was not much I could do, so I tried to just hold steady. I did slow up a little but, but I did manage to pick up the pace for the last mile! I was so happy to make that last turn towards the finish line, and when the thought, "I would do this again" passed through my head, I knew I had just had a successful race! It was actually the first time during a race that I did not go to the dark place and hate everything!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All smiles at mile 25!</td></tr>
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This was my 6th full marathon, and I'm so happy that I decided to do it. This is why I love my friends. They never listen when I say, "I'm never doing that again." They will always throw out the invite for whatever adventure they are doing, and for that I am grateful! I'm also grateful I have a husband who understands and supports my need to push myself in these athletic endeavors!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Finishers!</td></tr>
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Now to get get off my ass and start training again! Break Over!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medal and post-race Whataburger!</td></tr>
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Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-38087054235078233462018-05-07T09:37:00.000-07:002018-05-07T09:38:12.674-07:00Mind Over Miles - Wildflower 50k<br />
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Earlier this year, Linda and I were talking and she was
saying that she was going to sign up for an 50k race in New Mexico and I should
consider doing it with her. Having to travel out of state for a race wasn’t
really in my plans for this year so I had to pass, but said it would be cool to
do one someday. Sometime later, Linda said she found a 50k race in Bastrop in
May on my birthday weekend. Hmmm…now that would be fun to do on my birthday.
So, I went all in and signed up and </div>
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told my coach, “I’m doing a 50k!” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Fast forward a few months and some bumpy training with colds
and some minor niggles, race weekend was suddenly upon me. I did not feel
completely prepared to run 31 miles but I knew I could at least get through a
little more than half of the race before it would become a total sufferfest.
Linda and I drove up to Bastrop Friday afternoon and picked up our packets, had
an early dinner, and got our gear ready for our early morning wake-up of 4 a.m.
Saturday morning. The race started at 6 a.m. and we had 12 hours to complete
it. I told Brian to not worry about coming up until after noon because I didn’t
want him to be bored standing around waiting for me for too long, plus Libby
might get ornery after a while and I didn’t want him to have to deal with a
crazy puppy. Since I really had no idea what the terrain was going to be like,
I set a goal time of 7-9 hours for me to complete the race. I figured if I
could just keep moving my feet forward, I could do it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The course was a 6.2-mile loop that we would do 5 times. I
hate loops. This race just re-affirmed my dislike for loops, but I do think
that it helped me break through a mental barrier I had against them. By forcing
myself to keep going and not quit just because “I had the opportunity to”, it
made me realize that I can be mentally strong when I need to be. The third loop
was the hardest for me because I was pushing past the limit of my training. It
was also the first loop where I was mainly by myself out on the trails and my
brain started telling me that I should just stop and not head out for the next
2 loops. As I made my way back to the checkpoint to begin my 4<sup>th</sup>
loop a girl caught up to me and asked where the finish was. I told her she was
super close and that she was literally almost there and she was doing great.
She asked what distance I was doing and I told her the 50k and that I had 2
more loops to do. She told me that what I was doing was, “So cool and amazing
and I was looking so strong and that I would be finished with those 2 loops
before I knew I knew it.” Her words really helped put a pep back in my step and
when I got to the turn to head out for the 4<sup>th</sup> loop, I felt lighter
and had a smile on my face as I hiked up the trail leaving all the people
behind. This good mood lasted for most of the loop, and I sang stupid songs I
made up to the fire ants I saw on the trail as they were carrying huge pieces
of food to their homes. I sang, “If fire ants can carry I don’t know how much
more than their body weight then I could finish these next 2 loops.” (I think I
was partly delirious, but there was no one out there to hear me so FTW!!!) I
was still able to do a slow run down the flat trails and downhills and was
feeling great until maybe the last mile and a half of the loop. By then the
bottom of my feet were really hurting, but since that was all the pain I was
feeling, I knew I had no reason to quit. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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I got to the checkpoint to head out on my last loop and it
was so desolate at the finish line. The people that were there were great and
cheered and did their best to keep my spirits high. I stopped and filled up my
hydration pack with ice and water one last time and I told the lady that I had
one last loop to do. She told me to get out there and I started up the hill
again. This time there was much less pep in my step as I thought I was the last
one on the trail. A little up the way, a group of 3 or 4 people caught up to me
and I told them I was so happy to see them as I thought I was the only person
out there! We laughed and exchanged some pleasantries and then I got stung by a
bee. One of the guys that had just passed me said he got stung last year and
that it’s just part of being out in nature! I agreed and kept on going. I knew
I was still doing okay timewise because when I started this last loop I was at
the 7-hour mark. If I had been able to run at all, I think I would have been
able to break 9 hours, but I knew the pace I was keeping, I would probably be
more like 9hrs and 30mins. And this was okay with me. It was still under the 12-hour
limit and I knew I wasn’t alone anymore. I just needed to keep more forward. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And then the best thing ever happened! I heard Linda’s voice
behind me!!! I stopped and got off the phone with Brian. (He had just gotten to
the park and I was telling him I was probably still like an hour and a half
from finishing.) I knew from the texts that my coach and friends were sending
that she wasn’t very far behind me and would probably catch up to me so I was
so happy she did! We were able to hike/shuffle that last 4 or so miles of the
course and it helped so much to have someone else to suffer with. We finally
made it up the last hill to the finish line and I did the most pathetic shuffle
run over the finish line. Brian was there with Libby and the race director came over and gave us high fives. We went over to some shade and sat down for a bit
while Brian made sure I had a recovery drink and some ice to rub on my legs.
Libby then took the ice out of my hands and ate it, so I felt like I was right
at home!<o:p></o:p></div>
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It took a few minutes for the realization that I finished an
ultrarace to set in, and I couldn’t be happier that I was able to do it.
I don’t know where my ability to try and do things that I really don’t think
are possible comes from, but I’ve had for as long as a I can remember. In 6<sup>th</sup>
I tried out for the cheer leading team on a whim. I never had really given it
any thought, but I went ahead and tried out and I made the team! I remember
going to practices and the coach would give us pyramids or formations to do and
the other girls would groan and say they couldn’t do them and I would say that
I would try. I remember her asking them if they had ever heard me say “no” when
she asked us to do something. She said that I was willing to try something
first and if it didn’t work out then that was fine but at least I gave it try
instead of just assuming I wouldn’t be able to do it. Her comment has always
stuck in my head. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Finish Time: 9:28:31 – 31 miles – 72<sup>nd</sup> place out
of 79. There were 97 runners signed up for the race; 13 racers DNS and there
were 5 DNFs. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I don’t know what’s going to be next or if I’ll do another
50k again, but I did learn a few lessons from this race:</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A 50k is the longest
that I will run. I honestly have no desire to run further than 31 miles…for
now. <span style="font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji";">😉</span> <o:p></o:p></div>
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2. I’m not sure I would have been able to do this distance
at altitude. So, if I ever decide I do want to do this distance again, I’ll
have to remember that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trail Running Over
Texas (TROT) is one of the best race directors around. They had great support
and volunteers and the atmosphere of the race was just fabulous. I will definitely
do one of their races again and will recommend them to anyone. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBdCz-xJxRHBuwkCfL3_MQzUmLnogMfoVWCcsqYNcu-7WlV08_7e4U-_ywJiSRHrlY9i5euKrDXrBCqTuHOmESLgqOAkz_c6lT9WJhAU-1Cy9w6X652rSjGW8EVDMeeRYzom6r4-rJSM/s1600/IMG_3498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBdCz-xJxRHBuwkCfL3_MQzUmLnogMfoVWCcsqYNcu-7WlV08_7e4U-_ywJiSRHrlY9i5euKrDXrBCqTuHOmESLgqOAkz_c6lT9WJhAU-1Cy9w6X652rSjGW8EVDMeeRYzom6r4-rJSM/s200/IMG_3498.JPG" width="150" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkt1cuBE1LfG0o55dSQWL4E-A6AuPCZ996AKQUZ0P-Jd-kNuD8a7RRijXFrlJNAZyfGprjXiPuxpQ70VgxT7Tdd4MuERHDJWTxn3rCxnMQeaxtjUw9ZZwZ3IdlFUs_HYhLROcTmiumKg/s1600/IMG_3497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkt1cuBE1LfG0o55dSQWL4E-A6AuPCZ996AKQUZ0P-Jd-kNuD8a7RRijXFrlJNAZyfGprjXiPuxpQ70VgxT7Tdd4MuERHDJWTxn3rCxnMQeaxtjUw9ZZwZ3IdlFUs_HYhLROcTmiumKg/s200/IMG_3497.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
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Thank you to Brian for being there for me through all the training and taking care of me. Your face at the finish line was definitely something I needed to see. Love you! <3</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtqdAofkWfP2TjHBL_vgxbksMIfONbB89uOF1rJ0OIk2m77VGXnf1_QYMEhYmlmUwarb65lWB8d6SA4e_1mf0lf597HYFRORU-8lhlpEaaeq065TAi9MvXx9fHOUwQA84VD6ejE8o-rc/s1600/IMG_3483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtqdAofkWfP2TjHBL_vgxbksMIfONbB89uOF1rJ0OIk2m77VGXnf1_QYMEhYmlmUwarb65lWB8d6SA4e_1mf0lf597HYFRORU-8lhlpEaaeq065TAi9MvXx9fHOUwQA84VD6ejE8o-rc/s320/IMG_3483.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tired spectator puppy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Thank you to my coach, Brandi, for putting together a
training plan for me after I sort of sprang this race on you! You’re the best
and I really feel bad for stressing you out sometimes!!! I’ll try to do better.
<span style="font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif;">😊</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji";"><br /></span></div>
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And thank you to my friends who encourage me and, who
themselves, do amazing things that inspire me to push my limits and to keep trying
no matter what!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9_4qgdoGseCuKhhMeKSipfQUAaTeBlci7d2SNW2zeP0UfPLDH_Vv6JLUAvRGh7uYlMogtLwcrAxm9xXRP6XCQlvrrM2QzpLUotyjF97vtUDaY3N6iIN5NE6iYeB1ATyEEE2DorVd5lc/s1600/IMG_3705.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9_4qgdoGseCuKhhMeKSipfQUAaTeBlci7d2SNW2zeP0UfPLDH_Vv6JLUAvRGh7uYlMogtLwcrAxm9xXRP6XCQlvrrM2QzpLUotyjF97vtUDaY3N6iIN5NE6iYeB1ATyEEE2DorVd5lc/s320/IMG_3705.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVx3IcMsNSDiubPQlfeEXwWx1N7tO30h8E_19rv7F0von7g-6Da8OyHXYJDBjGo47grgNv7g6s1bQrZKbyQR3tBh7-mIZvY2CEFazRIDLcVGo5_-Mo0OL-nda9zMy9-MBcwRKv2sSgrE/s1600/IMG_3444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVx3IcMsNSDiubPQlfeEXwWx1N7tO30h8E_19rv7F0von7g-6Da8OyHXYJDBjGo47grgNv7g6s1bQrZKbyQR3tBh7-mIZvY2CEFazRIDLcVGo5_-Mo0OL-nda9zMy9-MBcwRKv2sSgrE/s320/IMG_3444.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-19524750892411600062017-09-28T08:22:00.003-07:002017-09-28T08:22:37.409-07:00Kerrville Tri!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMgnH1xM9xuZsJ97LsHVBBPqy9JC0OPPx1Qb_VMZvBg-DjLJIqqedayzZ_qQ28qEhrWEhTiHyN7IFCiBxZ6UaSzY-hLpKDEVluhusvkkrbuJf1inOdnVmgNfUfn5RNaIEU68UJ-NI7uM/s1600/IMG_1741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMgnH1xM9xuZsJ97LsHVBBPqy9JC0OPPx1Qb_VMZvBg-DjLJIqqedayzZ_qQ28qEhrWEhTiHyN7IFCiBxZ6UaSzY-hLpKDEVluhusvkkrbuJf1inOdnVmgNfUfn5RNaIEU68UJ-NI7uM/s320/IMG_1741.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kerrville with my girls </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I always have a great time at this race. I don't know if it's because I know it's close to the last race of the season, if not the last race, but I truly do enjoy this race. This year was no different.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bYhY3bN9XyJ3UMsCOXddV74DXeyk5JkJhTDJsS7RK9y2X7pmNkxfHXKUsTgvN1CE4KgyL42DgH-h3-JdwcEi5k8nMq2LwFb7P97DAM46m1pmLy4rIhCDwqWG9WEsNlibq_pjKuAPFRc/s1600/IMG_1748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bYhY3bN9XyJ3UMsCOXddV74DXeyk5JkJhTDJsS7RK9y2X7pmNkxfHXKUsTgvN1CE4KgyL42DgH-h3-JdwcEi5k8nMq2LwFb7P97DAM46m1pmLy4rIhCDwqWG9WEsNlibq_pjKuAPFRc/s200/IMG_1748.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEOzLmqr763H0lcmlFtzGHAF5nG_awwKp1xgNlj8vwC2IRiFVrmbRst20ijME9l1p8fzhpNEq_4yd9aqyASW40sOCThpRvwIRQkKLMonoIxU3YC55-BEfq7EgsL6JwR-BKMY7VRf4teik/s1600/IMG_1752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEOzLmqr763H0lcmlFtzGHAF5nG_awwKp1xgNlj8vwC2IRiFVrmbRst20ijME9l1p8fzhpNEq_4yd9aqyASW40sOCThpRvwIRQkKLMonoIxU3YC55-BEfq7EgsL6JwR-BKMY7VRf4teik/s200/IMG_1752.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTAawTx3ZuPB7kTevtT0NNgg8BrCkxEseCVynnD33DLuIUtql_59zep05enxh43QIQ-V-2G-gl9R13cF7LDgwTifaDcrmXSua4a3P5vbLZ6M4JqiAWxijb24VCB2oCWhRvg4wFKcsEIQ/s1600/IMG_1750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTAawTx3ZuPB7kTevtT0NNgg8BrCkxEseCVynnD33DLuIUtql_59zep05enxh43QIQ-V-2G-gl9R13cF7LDgwTifaDcrmXSua4a3P5vbLZ6M4JqiAWxijb24VCB2oCWhRvg4wFKcsEIQ/s200/IMG_1750.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I expected this to be a pretty low-key race with not much fanfare, but a few weeks out, Kris said her dad was biting the bullet and doing the race. And not just doing it, but doing the Quarter distance. It would be his first triathlon. He is 69 years old. Just awesome.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3x5Om0DxoS7ZbpHUr5Xl8nH0syHlaTi5aIbFknx6qmvQVcgilTZno0gqN1fnpmLFsn_ZBhZxWalGUy8DD1APhX2O_0XOMbUel28DcNwKqhQOrIz6oPcSkiJ2vFHENZrJSF5IIbn14AGE/s1600/IMG_1749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3x5Om0DxoS7ZbpHUr5Xl8nH0syHlaTi5aIbFknx6qmvQVcgilTZno0gqN1fnpmLFsn_ZBhZxWalGUy8DD1APhX2O_0XOMbUel28DcNwKqhQOrIz6oPcSkiJ2vFHENZrJSF5IIbn14AGE/s200/IMG_1749.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks for the cheers Herb!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kris decided to fly in to support her dad and then Aixa decided to go ahead and race on Saturday and stay to spectate with the family on Sunday. Linda and Shelly even made it in to cheer with their mini cheerleaders. Herb volunteered as paddle board support for the race. All of a sudden everyone was there!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyY3CkpABbVEFxx1cMHV3fbIfDo8XxWvFKcLz1-uRzteKScyNJfxX8oGn-WHze8w_XLr0t0mBxm3cjbW3yckAd2uDzz_lmSvKOBEjW7hBMooYg5Q70Mn-AI53QfiEAl3UZSkZRqBYdB0/s1600/IMG_1742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyY3CkpABbVEFxx1cMHV3fbIfDo8XxWvFKcLz1-uRzteKScyNJfxX8oGn-WHze8w_XLr0t0mBxm3cjbW3yckAd2uDzz_lmSvKOBEjW7hBMooYg5Q70Mn-AI53QfiEAl3UZSkZRqBYdB0/s320/IMG_1742.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day drinking</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Race morning came, along with all the nerves, but I knew I was ready. Physically, it felt like forever since I had raced, even though it was only a couple of months ago. Mentally, I knew I could do it and wanted to go out and give it all I had. I knew it probably wasn't going to be my fastest race, but I wanted to be satisfied with the effort I put out. There's been a lot going on this year and I hadn't really been hitting my training goals, but I needed to do this race to see if I still could find that "happiness" I remember from a few years back. Finally it was time to line up to hit the water. I wished John good luck and hoped to myself that he wouldn't catch me on the bike.<br />
<br />
Swim - 24:13<br />
I accidentally seeded myself at the very back of the pack. I didn't realize this until they had already started sending the girls into the water and I looked behind me and only saw a few of the same colored caps as me and tons of next wave. Whoops! It actually didn't go so bad and turned out to be one of the best swims I've had in terms of sighting and not getting pummeled. Although, I also didn't have any fast feet to hang onto and any that I did come up to, I ended up passing fairly quickly. I was so grateful for the relatively smooth water after the chop and waves of IM Canada 70.3 and it really gave me a confidence boost after my "I'm going to die" swim there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgyqPwcb6rX-7Cr3E9WU2j6STF_VBMZqng8st30DBTDFgMa2uv7twij0qBN9gW2vruL61y9338PWUZnZ8f0DyN0bvf152VZog1bnKPxR848YE9lIKO7ezaR2i0JPwMT5y4iDtr6MkIIE/s1600/IMG_1753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgyqPwcb6rX-7Cr3E9WU2j6STF_VBMZqng8st30DBTDFgMa2uv7twij0qBN9gW2vruL61y9338PWUZnZ8f0DyN0bvf152VZog1bnKPxR848YE9lIKO7ezaR2i0JPwMT5y4iDtr6MkIIE/s200/IMG_1753.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
I exited the water and ran up the hill with Aixa chasing me and anticipating the stinging slap on the ass I knew was coming...and she got me good! T1 was a slugfest. I really need to work on that.<br />
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Bike: 1:36:53<br />
Goal #1 - Don't let John catch me. (He didn't, but I only rode about 1 min faster than him. Go John!) Goal #2 - Don't crash. Goal #3 - Have fun!<br />
I got pretty lucky on the bike as I didn't get poured on, but there were a few areas that were slick with water and I just wanted to be safe going around those corners so I didn't kamikaze the whole thing. We also had a headwind on the way out of town, which is usually not the norm, but I must say that I didn't notice it one bit. I'm not sure if it was the disc wheel or if I was just feeling that good, but I was extremely happy on my bike. This is always the best feeling ever! There are times when I ride my bike that I feel like no matter what effort I put out, I feel like I'm not going anywhere. This was not one of those times. With every pedal stroke the bike felt so responsive; we were in perfect sync together. According to Strava, I made it up the last hill before turning back into town in the fastest time I have ever done at this race. Things were just clicking on the bike. Again, not my fastest time, but for sure one of the happiest bike rides I've had in a race in a very long time.<br />
<br />
I did better with T2 and was able to get out of there in just over 2 minutes. Not blazing fast but better than T1. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8SzwfKdjbb2xGykTSdpq_opIvivmGAPyC4dfOvv0s7v1N7SSwW4mcb5e662leRql0gkfqVfmfGUfLevSAMXzs5aD0bie776om7lNhztCnQDPiadIXD94u8H6fdcR6Jy_WCP6dLpmmBg/s1600/IMG_1761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="765" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8SzwfKdjbb2xGykTSdpq_opIvivmGAPyC4dfOvv0s7v1N7SSwW4mcb5e662leRql0gkfqVfmfGUfLevSAMXzs5aD0bie776om7lNhztCnQDPiadIXD94u8H6fdcR6Jy_WCP6dLpmmBg/s320/IMG_1761.JPG" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running happy. (Thanks Lexa for running back<br />getting this!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Run: 1:05:09<br />
My run training has taken a hit lately as I've been trying to clear up a lingering foot issue with PT, so I wasn't sure how this run was going to go. My longest run coming into the race was only 4 miles with the majority of my runs being 2 or 3 miles once a week. I saw Linda and Alex cheering for me as I exited T2 and it was a nice little boost to get the legs moving and then I saw the rest of the gang by the first aid station on the way out. I managed to somehow avoid getting smacked on the ass again, which I'm sure my cheeks are grateful for! The first 2 miles ticked off in the low 9's and I thought that maybe I would be able to scrounge up a good run. As mile 3 ticked off, I was up in the high 9's and I knew I was just running to finish now. The legs popped off not long after that, but it didn't bother me. I was having so much fun and, truthfully, it felt like those miles ticked off way faster than they actually did. I kinda almost didn't want it to end.<br />
<br />
Total Time: 3:12:34. Still a top 10 finish in a group of 33 tough women. Who says getting older makes you slower?<br />
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After I was done, I met up with the gang and we were able to cheer for John as he ran past us on the final out and back section. He looked great and I'm not sure I believe this was his first triathlon, just saying!<br />
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Until next year Kerrville! I do believe I will up the ante and finally tackle the sprint/quarter combo that I've been thinking about for a few years now. :) As always, I've got to give a huge shout out to my #1 supporter Brian. Without him, this weekend wouldn't have run so smoothly and for that, I thank you (xoxoxo).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGTcplYVYzviV03GjCpXh79GVphvyDl5NVqFRrNyh-ZmpSmcL9y6LCJ-3J78X8K-ahXo1dKE6uumP6uhf82KylXEhMYSJZYOAdZoR6pF-60TE4lKRmhb2fmfH7ytWucowfhUuFZFedkE/s1600/IMG_1728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGTcplYVYzviV03GjCpXh79GVphvyDl5NVqFRrNyh-ZmpSmcL9y6LCJ-3J78X8K-ahXo1dKE6uumP6uhf82KylXEhMYSJZYOAdZoR6pF-60TE4lKRmhb2fmfH7ytWucowfhUuFZFedkE/s320/IMG_1728.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the name banner of everyone doing the race(s)!</td></tr>
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<br />Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-51458935600609221572017-08-29T07:28:00.001-07:002017-08-29T07:28:18.483-07:00Canada 70.3 - Whistler Race Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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IM Canada 70.3 – one of the most challenging, fun,
beautiful, and rewarding races I’ve ever done. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1gNZFLuL-lCOztQCOs_0DVMSEQxnq0mFnjFTUoAy_uj-CPNWg98cEBzVmpBmGjnXOSQEXsCwuQRzC1M1Z6MIWFPRL6YoE5U8HOEC8bdhIgz68D5L8lwogHLG29snAoxJTQLT4KOZI-U/s1600/IMG_4503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1gNZFLuL-lCOztQCOs_0DVMSEQxnq0mFnjFTUoAy_uj-CPNWg98cEBzVmpBmGjnXOSQEXsCwuQRzC1M1Z6MIWFPRL6YoE5U8HOEC8bdhIgz68D5L8lwogHLG29snAoxJTQLT4KOZI-U/s320/IMG_4503.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you have not been to British Columbia, I highly recommend
you visit. This was our 3<sup>rd</sup> visit to BC and each time I leave, I
swear a little piece of my soul stays behind. Besides the race, we did a zip
line tour, hiked around Whistler Mountain, and rode mountain bikes on trails
that were absolutely amazing and terrifying. And there’s still so much more
that we need to go see – there’s definitely another trip (or 2) in our future!
Okay, onto the race…</div>
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SWIM: 43:31<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy to be alive!</td></tr>
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They say that you always remember the tough races; the ones
where it doesn’t always come easy. This was definitely one of those races and,
surprisingly, it started on the swim. The full Ironman and half Ironman took
place on the same day with the half starting after all the full participants
got in the water, so I didn’t get started until about 9 a.m. Unfortunately,
that meant that the wind had time to pick up and cause the water to be some of
the choppiest I’ve every swam in. I didn’t notice it right away, because at
first, I was shocked by the 68-degree water in my sleeveless wetsuit. My first
thoughts were that my arms were going to turn into blocks of ice before I
finished the swim. After a few strokes, I realized that the water seemed really
choppy and I had to focus on not inhaling a ton of water whenever I tried to
breathe. Once I got into a rhythm, I realized my arms were warmed up and the
water didn’t feel that bad anymore. I made the first and second turns with no
problems and relatively little contact. I felt like I had a great rhythm going.
Then I made the third turn and I realized it was going to get ugly. The waves
were coming in from the direction I was breathing and I had a slight moment of
panic. I tried to breathe on my other side but the waves were coming down over
my head and I sucked in a big gulp of water. I coughed a bit and stopped
swimming for a spell to get my bearings and I could see the shore and the swim
finish. I decided to keep breathing towards the direction of the waves so that
at least I could see them coming and try to time my breathing. As I started
swimming again, my calf cramped up bad. I had a moment of sheer panic when I
thought to myself that I was going to drown with the shore in sight. Luckily
that only lasted for a couple of seconds as I mentally smacked myself and told
myself to do what I do in the pool when I cramp and just keep swimming with my
cramped leg as relaxed as possible. It worked. The cramp subsided and I finally
made it to the shore. I’ve never been happier to finish a swim ever in my life.
As I looked at my watch, I was also pleasantly surprised by my time. Not
exactly what I was hoping for, but not as bad as I thought it was going to be. <o:p></o:p></div>
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T1: 9:39 (Oops)<o:p></o:p></div>
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BIKE: 3:47:05<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXzGxRX6SlpQJj82Khosx_tZHBCyCBi6TFtJKouIUgHan_IwaqR7Od2gSTtW1e4Je1oaPptQgfDZSioASFzrMtxUmGyzqdTea5ME4mYFse2kOZ7f3UvSIWwFStgt-OoiwA9ADCTPAuB-Y/s1600/IMG_1495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="428" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXzGxRX6SlpQJj82Khosx_tZHBCyCBi6TFtJKouIUgHan_IwaqR7Od2gSTtW1e4Je1oaPptQgfDZSioASFzrMtxUmGyzqdTea5ME4mYFse2kOZ7f3UvSIWwFStgt-OoiwA9ADCTPAuB-Y/s320/IMG_1495.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best views ever</td></tr>
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The great thing about doing a half when there’s a full
Ironman going in is that you get to go into the changing tent and have
volunteers there to help you, just as if you were doing the full. I was able to
sit in a chair and dry off, put on my socks and shoes, and not be covered in
dirt and grass from doing all that by my bike, albeit, this probably made my T1
a little bit longer than necessary. I wasn’t too worried though. I knew it was
going to be a long day on the bike for me and I wanted to make sure I was
comfortable. My motto for the bike was, “Just keep pedaling and enjoy the
view”. Every time I hit a particularly long climb, I lifted my eyes off the
road and looked up into the mountains. The thing about going up, is that you
have to come down and there were some awesome stretches of the course where you
didn’t have to pedal for what seemed like miles. The views on this course were
just spectacular and were a great distraction when the legs were burning. I was
hoping to see some wildlife while I was out on the bike, but either I was
looking in the wrong places or there just wasn’t any. There was good crowd
support along Whistler Village but not any once you made it out of the town. It
did feel pretty lonely out there but having the road blocked off to traffic was
very nice. My goal was to be done with the bike in under 4 hours and I was
happy to have met that goal. I definitely need to work on my hill climbing
skills.<o:p></o:p></div>
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T2: 5:59<o:p></o:p></div>
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RUN: 2:32:55</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlFSmImKLORQjdwrZMJ1BDZmFbdUAYgC7CakE3UmJz6sdZ9CEYuobYwpo12FB1UWSBg503fop6rNSm0ESg6GlE9qfRoJv9AktDIlRsCL-avV95qNANKOIIVrwbFdUv7Hw_viPZv6P0kk/s1600/IMG_1500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="428" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlFSmImKLORQjdwrZMJ1BDZmFbdUAYgC7CakE3UmJz6sdZ9CEYuobYwpo12FB1UWSBg503fop6rNSm0ESg6GlE9qfRoJv9AktDIlRsCL-avV95qNANKOIIVrwbFdUv7Hw_viPZv6P0kk/s320/IMG_1500.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not bad views on the run either</td></tr>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
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I was so excited to get out on the run course. Maybe it was
because I knew it was going to pretty or the weather was nice or I didn’t ride
hard enough, whatever it was, it was a super nice feeling. I saw Brian as I
came down to the trail and I remember telling him that the bike had been so
hard. He cheered me on and I continued running. It was a super great course of
asphalt trail, dirt/gravel paths, a wooden bridge, and a little bit of concrete.
Someone had circled a pile of poop and labeled it “Bear Poop” and that made me chuckle.
The crowd support was great on the course and it was nice to be able to enjoy
their cheers and interact with people so I could take my mind off my less than
stellar pace. When the miles started beeping off, I was actually surprised to
see I was doing an okay pace. I wasn’t blazing fast but I wasn’t crawling along
either. I had fun cheering at my teammates I saw along the course and yelling “Go
Smash” to all the other ladies in Smash on the course. Pretty soon I was at the
turnaround and I couldn’t believe I was over halfway done with the run. I hadn’t
been to the “dark place” once! I guess I visited that place enough times on the
bike that I didn’t need to revisit it on the run. The last 3-4 miles hurt. My
feet were done. Once I made the turn into the village I only had eyes on that
finish line. I saw the running time at the finish and I just had to laugh to
myself. Definitely not the finish time I was hoping for, but considering I hadn’t
raced a 70.3 since 2015 I was just happy to be crossing the finish line. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Total Time: 7:19:08 </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicHQflPJTC4GjcKPh7HtUnfvasUzOgMbdNOHM-N59EfvbdmJYm3TskpGbnsV0ArOH95tb9MjK4yxux7Yaf_WU45I12x7hie3EfQNTltGKTYGqBxdnEd2JcqmVn-zMNX1QGTTlkPN42eTs/s1600/IMG_4673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicHQflPJTC4GjcKPh7HtUnfvasUzOgMbdNOHM-N59EfvbdmJYm3TskpGbnsV0ArOH95tb9MjK4yxux7Yaf_WU45I12x7hie3EfQNTltGKTYGqBxdnEd2JcqmVn-zMNX1QGTTlkPN42eTs/s320/IMG_4673.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy was the best support crew of the day. XOXO</td></tr>
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It feels good to be back racing longer distances and I’m
excited to plan my next race, wherever it may be!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRiV4jySJonlxZpX8F2gyKZ4M30PwX6xo4dUo45l_bq00XvThhIRNrAhnX2sdKdK2TY8HbaiPNxJWETzB-_shllH6-mIYxkQW9HF5LFaQzxwPMLWb6xHeg1Ch-tCgEChyAr9dddntyBJc/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="747" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRiV4jySJonlxZpX8F2gyKZ4M30PwX6xo4dUo45l_bq00XvThhIRNrAhnX2sdKdK2TY8HbaiPNxJWETzB-_shllH6-mIYxkQW9HF5LFaQzxwPMLWb6xHeg1Ch-tCgEChyAr9dddntyBJc/s320/FullSizeRender+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smashfest Queen Meet up!<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJDZkc2yMMEK726EzIZXVYJDkunD8_JUjzudaEyvPuNDSZPH4Wsy6allKPsEEeUFc5d4-2aDdOVPsfxEujUKo9Do-R9fC5wml4DShx8RbhN-PTj4qieMf10wfC_o9C45NoHsUdklAVTQ/s1600/IMG_4475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJDZkc2yMMEK726EzIZXVYJDkunD8_JUjzudaEyvPuNDSZPH4Wsy6allKPsEEeUFc5d4-2aDdOVPsfxEujUKo9Do-R9fC5wml4DShx8RbhN-PTj4qieMf10wfC_o9C45NoHsUdklAVTQ/s320/IMG_4475.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biking to catch our plane ;)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CLByOdPZSeB_AmjwKDpuyeUb0uwbDEjo4fSrspzoAyKoQcuHG9HrjrhiC3DpzbZawBRPZ9SlSMCGFlGm73gUEKU9sQXKHrXQLw34cajoPAtSOfBlYBuMy5zY9YWsgoB-U8dI2h-WtDE/s1600/IMG_1437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CLByOdPZSeB_AmjwKDpuyeUb0uwbDEjo4fSrspzoAyKoQcuHG9HrjrhiC3DpzbZawBRPZ9SlSMCGFlGm73gUEKU9sQXKHrXQLw34cajoPAtSOfBlYBuMy5zY9YWsgoB-U8dI2h-WtDE/s320/IMG_1437.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow Park - Alta Lake (Swim Start)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQk4ZdhYFBo6YB1wlcFnGSOSO-rNqQfG8Jr1Fx7FiC8GX9yYjYJyOAdWrAdvGVqVFtrCvMBXCCNvCaAEFuXX14OHxNFb7WCPYgh3f89WnkGIBPPfcuuQHx80QM4eZCGeeY_MHUCPGyfdg/s1600/IMG_4792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQk4ZdhYFBo6YB1wlcFnGSOSO-rNqQfG8Jr1Fx7FiC8GX9yYjYJyOAdWrAdvGVqVFtrCvMBXCCNvCaAEFuXX14OHxNFb7WCPYgh3f89WnkGIBPPfcuuQHx80QM4eZCGeeY_MHUCPGyfdg/s320/IMG_4792.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a pretty bridge</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Cgj4zR_7pZ-FKSFwgHpXvaNMzT0pM6HV20uHAypsgOeKWHsWDYWLzWIQeCUMxA2K1B3HudL_ggu9pPU1PWy071Lm73VrZFg8FL0I8iRnp-FM78C8fALF-OZgkY_uSr93SMO9JWH4-os/s1600/IMG_4713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Cgj4zR_7pZ-FKSFwgHpXvaNMzT0pM6HV20uHAypsgOeKWHsWDYWLzWIQeCUMxA2K1B3HudL_ggu9pPU1PWy071Lm73VrZFg8FL0I8iRnp-FM78C8fALF-OZgkY_uSr93SMO9JWH4-os/s320/IMG_4713.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zip lining fun!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6zqoCwbGyCbkjqAoYv3FDkyFKVa3ciS_nN_0mfFmBeh01RtgKdCXWS5Qo3sR90e1XhUmEaEavKyic51wuGf7B4lA1Ln7F7lYwlj_E9JhBOgQ1xAFVXZItglovN_s6zsfACNChQmSU1E/s1600/IMG_4662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6zqoCwbGyCbkjqAoYv3FDkyFKVa3ciS_nN_0mfFmBeh01RtgKdCXWS5Qo3sR90e1XhUmEaEavKyic51wuGf7B4lA1Ln7F7lYwlj_E9JhBOgQ1xAFVXZItglovN_s6zsfACNChQmSU1E/s320/IMG_4662.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking adventures - no bears were seen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-82119904161645063682017-05-31T11:16:00.001-07:002017-05-31T11:19:03.121-07:00Rookie Tri!<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 17.0pt;">As my training for
Whistler 70.3 began to ramp up, I decided to throw in this fun sprint tri as a
warm up since it feels like forever since I've raced. Plus, it was my 40th
birthday weekend and I really wanted to smash myself into my new age group.
Aixa was a trooper, as always, and signed up for the race to help me celebrate! </span></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 17.0pt;">I really enjoy this
race as it's a straight-forward course and you get to race against some great
competition. The last time I raced here was in 2011 so I was really excited to
compare my times and gauge my improvement.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-size: 17pt;">Swim-6:47</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 17.0pt;">Oh, the swim. One day
I'll be able to hit pool numbers in the open water, but this was not the day
for it to happen. It was one of the smoothest swims I've ever done and I felt
like I was crushing it. But according to my times I'm not there yet. Onward!</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 17.0pt;">Bike-38:07</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 17.0pt;">I was ready to push
myself as hard as I could on this course and I am really happy with my effort.
I was between my high/low goal times, and I feel the effort I put out was the
best I could do on this day. A few minor changes have been made to my bike
setup, so I'm really excited to see how these changes affect me.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 17.0pt;">Run-17:10</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 17.0pt;">This run was about
proving to myself that I could run hard after a strong bike. This course is all
off-road so it was a challenge to keep those paces low since I don't normally
run trails. I'm very happy with the run I was able to pull out here. It also
helped to have Aixa waiting close to the finish line informing me of the girl
hot on my heels, who I had passed about a 1/2 mile back. So I kicked it up a
notch and was able to hold my position.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="p1">
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<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 17.0pt;">This is were things
get gross. (WARNING! Not too graphic but just wanted to warn y'all just in
case. </span></span><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "segoe ui symbol" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">😉</span></span><span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 17.0pt;">)</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 17.0pt;">After I crossed the
finish line I thought I just had a normal burp. But as it happened, I realized
there was going to be a Linda Blair moment. I quickly found a trailer to hide
behind and promptly puked my guts out! Flashbacks to my very first triathlon!
After that, my stomach was a happy camper and I found the A-Team to go
celebrate the finish. When I got home and downloaded my Garmin I realized that
my HR got up to 191/192 so that explains the post-race pukefest.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 17.0pt;">Total time-1:08:06</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 17.0pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: 17pt;">I love challenging
myself on these shorter races and seeing where I'm making gains and what areas
I need work on. Not sure if I have time to throw in another race before
Whistler, but I'm super excited to get back into the 70.3 distance after
missing out on last year.</span><br />
<div class="p1">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-61651664336378169752017-03-13T09:16:00.000-07:002017-03-13T09:16:19.550-07:00Moe's Better Half Marathon Race Report<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I tackled
another half marathon the other weekend, and it was a great one. I decided to
sign up for Moe’s Better Half Marathon when my friend Linda told me she was
going to do it. It appealed to me for several reasons: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->1. Linda
was doing it<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->2. I’d
never done it before and, as I was researching it, realized the RD was retiring
so it would be its last
year; and<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->3. It
looked like a tough course.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I know what
kind of numbers I can run on a mostly flat course, so attempting to go under 2
hours on a course that had hills was sort of daunting to me. Both times I had
signed up to run in Austin, which has hills, I ended up injured. So, I realized
that outside of half-ironman races, I hadn’t really done a stand-alone, hilly
13.1 miles. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Race morning
came with overcast skies, cool-ish temps, but no heavy downpours! We met up
with Linda race morning and did a quick packet pickup, which included some
pretty nice swag.</div>
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Then it was time to race. This is probably one of the
smallest races I’ve done, and it was weird to be able to see the beginning of
the line of runners ahead of me instead of the typical mass of thousands of
bodies. I quickly settled into a rhythm that I hoped I could maintain and was
soon confronted with the “hills”. I just took my time going up the gradual,
long climbs and tried to keep my turnover steady. It seemed to be working, and
I noticed I was able to pass up groups of people and keep ahead of them.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I finally
found my “group” and we spent a few miles playing tag with each other, taking
turns taking the lead and falling back. We finally separated with about 3 or 4
miles left, and I knew this was the time I needed to buckle down and continue
to make it hurt. Miles 10-12 were uphill back to the finish and I noticed my
pace falling off a bit, but I had built up enough of a lead that even with the
slight slowing down I was safe in my goal. Finish time of 1:57:36 and pace of 8:57!
<o:p></o:p></div>
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I met Moe
after the race, and he is a super cool dude. I’m only sad that I didn’t know
about this race sooner. I think I heard another RD is going to be taking over
this race in the future so, hopefully, us runners will be able to continue to
have a challenging course to play on. <o:p></o:p></div>
Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-77608187176238932952017-01-25T17:11:00.001-08:002017-01-25T17:32:08.560-08:00Run Houston!<br />
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<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
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</div>
<br />
My first race of 2017 is in the books! It wasn't a PR, but I was able to make my goal of running another half marathon in under 2 hrs happen. This one was a nail-biter because I had to make a pit stop at mile 4, so I felt like I was racing the clock to make it in under the 2-hour mark.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEO9-kpx_lTGH24SDaCzIqnAYLK5WutUxRjvjt52DGWrXl7rk8huXDMm-mNtD8VLgC5hzGXr5owUK2LQ3EeKH1KVmlDAUokZZ3UCG67qSu-ni3T87vn3QibVUT_MhuZbA7v1p-1TEPvBw/s1600/IMG_0367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEO9-kpx_lTGH24SDaCzIqnAYLK5WutUxRjvjt52DGWrXl7rk8huXDMm-mNtD8VLgC5hzGXr5owUK2LQ3EeKH1KVmlDAUokZZ3UCG67qSu-ni3T87vn3QibVUT_MhuZbA7v1p-1TEPvBw/s320/IMG_0367.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meb, me, and BL</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This year we stayed at a hotel about a mile and a half from the race. We found out when we checked in that they were providing a courtesy shuttle to the start line race morning. Bonus!!! That made figuring out race morning so much better. Just get up and go. Of course, I still under estimated how much time we needed and we missed the gates for corral A by 5 minutes and barely made it into corral B before they closed those gates. Note to self: Next year, get yo' ass out of bed and get to the race!<br />
<br />
Brian and I managed to make our way almost all the way to the front of corral B when they started herding us out toward the start. My search for fellow racer and fab friendy, Linda, began as we passed the other corrals. I knew she was probably gonna be up in the front of her corral and, sure enough, I saw her as we passed by it. We got her attention and were able to send well wishes to each other from afar.<br />
<br />
Then we were crossing the start line and it was off we go! The first couple of miles clicked off no problem. I was holding a pace that I was happy with but no where near my goal of 8.10. A little mind adjustment took place as I realized that going under 1:50 wasn't going to happen today. I told myself to just push and get in under 2. Then disaster as I approach mile 4 and my stomach starts talking to me. I started casting about desperately for the port-o-pots but didn't see any in sight. It seemed like they were on every corner the first few miles and now they were no where in sight! Plus, every sign I read seemed to reference poop. Please people I'm trying not to think about that right now! Lol. Finally, the green glow of the port-o-pots come into to view and I make a beeline for them. My watch was on auto pause so when I started back up I estimated my break to be about 2 minutes.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2200549244059648837" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2200549244059648837" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2200549244059648837" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2200549244059648837" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>The next few miles pass uneventfully and I'm enjoying myself and thinking how happy I am not to be running the full marathon because it was so hot. Around mile 8 I notice myself falling off pace. I've dropped to the low 9's and my head feels kinds of tingly. Not sure if it was nutrition or the heat but I cooled off at the next water station and got some calories in and started to feel better. I run easy for a couple more miles and start to pick up the pace again at mile 11.<br />
<br />
I finally get back to downtown Houston and can hear the crowds and the announcers and dig deep to the finish. Every finish line is an awesome experience. It doesn't matter how many times I've done this distance or how my finish time is not what I wanted it to be; every race I do feels like a privilege, and I'm so happy that I'm able to participate in these races. The work I did to put myself in this position gives me a great sense of accomplishment and I'm grateful I've got a wonderful support system. BRING ON THE NEXT ONE!!! <br />
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Happy finishers!</td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"> </span> <br />
A huge thanks to Linda and her friend for the wonderful pre-race evening relaxing at her house and for the ride back to our hotel after the race!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy finishers!</td></tr>
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<br />Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-60271990605681023772016-12-08T09:14:00.002-08:002016-12-08T09:14:28.129-08:00The Race That Wasn’t…SA RnR 2016<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quick snap at the expo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEeCikilkygSlcXquqK4CYytBShKhp37shvT3AoeQbXnOO7aYm6S9_LLuAI0rDa3Zm4R-igHioL7phYqRXBeCBsvB-HdhMvkCC7NqIqCgZguY_sK50IdMi7dFQS5MKyuh89tkEnA_2GMI/s1600/IMG_0022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEeCikilkygSlcXquqK4CYytBShKhp37shvT3AoeQbXnOO7aYm6S9_LLuAI0rDa3Zm4R-igHioL7phYqRXBeCBsvB-HdhMvkCC7NqIqCgZguY_sK50IdMi7dFQS5MKyuh89tkEnA_2GMI/s320/IMG_0022.JPG" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such high hopes I was gonna be able to run.</td></tr>
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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. <o:p></o:p></div>
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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!<o:p></o:p></div>
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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! <o:p></o:p></div>
Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-72293297938523622132016-10-07T06:06:00.000-07:002016-10-07T06:10:54.941-07:00Kerrville Tri - 2016This 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.
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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!<br>
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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.<br>
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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.<br>
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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!<br>
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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!Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-74266483889504260942016-08-30T16:26:00.001-07:002016-08-30T16:26:08.973-07:00Dam 09 Tri<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCBX0zojKmVH6o4_MHpq0Mj60XEkJgF_EXbpMjjglkT8f9NHiTa7WM6qenlzjopzFQHPKqK-LRAdaRkQJAYB-4z_avfqgO3z-wrBsKJADIrV7-TYAWHpxTDjfLz1GMNVjNlK42re8VyI/s640/blogger-image-1037524708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCBX0zojKmVH6o4_MHpq0Mj60XEkJgF_EXbpMjjglkT8f9NHiTa7WM6qenlzjopzFQHPKqK-LRAdaRkQJAYB-4z_avfqgO3z-wrBsKJADIrV7-TYAWHpxTDjfLz1GMNVjNlK42re8VyI/s640/blogger-image-1037524708.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Swim</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipe2L6JZ6VByEfBRafHqtjrTqqguVSA1JApDljejKUC5HHmQuhL7Iy-4tUNzBhnAlOkBjTYBcsw2xa6CFlA0c8PWJlV73R63L4YxdXzZUfcufEORo0Yu_YfgCFivKvFh3YWynUovELhjo/s640/blogger-image-495137550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipe2L6JZ6VByEfBRafHqtjrTqqguVSA1JApDljejKUC5HHmQuhL7Iy-4tUNzBhnAlOkBjTYBcsw2xa6CFlA0c8PWJlV73R63L4YxdXzZUfcufEORo0Yu_YfgCFivKvFh3YWynUovELhjo/s640/blogger-image-495137550.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Bike</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvewUtLjv_GFX-Iw9CNf6VnPok8MbDVf7TR6U34fLMFrRzr89g9RFkY7pwJh9pb31DOqObdXW13NhVqcCiK8oa5qbBp2fivQAjCGHB0MXO-pTyZUltRasFtfIKFGk-pcp0ndfCKYlaihw/s640/blogger-image-248474680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvewUtLjv_GFX-Iw9CNf6VnPok8MbDVf7TR6U34fLMFrRzr89g9RFkY7pwJh9pb31DOqObdXW13NhVqcCiK8oa5qbBp2fivQAjCGHB0MXO-pTyZUltRasFtfIKFGk-pcp0ndfCKYlaihw/s640/blogger-image-248474680.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Run!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5kZG4xllMZullNYo22nOLIsrBrLByuwHcXsqNetf75ODIWBy2-dBEObKBn4rqvgQaZ8o1DCLwnwmYVcMfa2Sj4eVo35Sa9RZkHq8zVLpr7T7YxCCZEB5GFjitOdVF01EH2gmZWe67Rw/s640/blogger-image--162421866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5kZG4xllMZullNYo22nOLIsrBrLByuwHcXsqNetf75ODIWBy2-dBEObKBn4rqvgQaZ8o1DCLwnwmYVcMfa2Sj4eVo35Sa9RZkHq8zVLpr7T7YxCCZEB5GFjitOdVF01EH2gmZWe67Rw/s640/blogger-image--162421866.jpg"></a></div> <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Post race with my coach Brandi at Lulu</span></div><br></div><br></div>Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-83598361790745742562016-08-10T14:48:00.000-07:002016-08-10T17:32:50.770-07:00Racing again after forever!!!<div class="MsoNormal">
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?</div>
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Swim – 1500m; 22:05 minutes (1:19/100yd) Hahahaha!<o:p></o:p></div>
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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 <o:p></o:p></div>
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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. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Bike – 40k; 1:24:40 (17.6 mph) – Pretty conservative bike,
but I think it saved my legs for the run. <o:p></o:p></div>
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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.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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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. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Run – 5.22 miles 45:13 minutes (8.47 min/mi)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_cn1FHwJhfUSe-4d1gyt_MPIpIsEVpwki88hoDPIY1PSypZEWfIoL6LwqHxWLRc-HQA1ZAPgW1wARt3fKTg1X_0-DirFeKNbBdep-Ib6ZC16iYwTkesaHZu7laylqJy7OcvfG2QtI4w/s1600/IMG_9120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_cn1FHwJhfUSe-4d1gyt_MPIpIsEVpwki88hoDPIY1PSypZEWfIoL6LwqHxWLRc-HQA1ZAPgW1wARt3fKTg1X_0-DirFeKNbBdep-Ib6ZC16iYwTkesaHZu7laylqJy7OcvfG2QtI4w/s320/IMG_9120.JPG" width="213"></a></div>
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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!<o:p></o:p></div>
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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!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1KPIb8bOJRUzRbMpHxD5e7h894s3Cf3SRv8zfv5cISRD-_h3daTBiWhYx1f5Ds81cjr9m3naHfwNZD-xiWDSCUqvG1LbZpvW1KSidIRLzJMnqkdRV6Scap0UJbtW-bS-FlSfdOwAo4M/s1600/IMG_9119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1KPIb8bOJRUzRbMpHxD5e7h894s3Cf3SRv8zfv5cISRD-_h3daTBiWhYx1f5Ds81cjr9m3naHfwNZD-xiWDSCUqvG1LbZpvW1KSidIRLzJMnqkdRV6Scap0UJbtW-bS-FlSfdOwAo4M/s320/IMG_9119.JPG" width="213"></a></div>
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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!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1xjMKIulquxfBAPC7vyVq8LJebFU6ddCS6U9HH7HUxDyv0SMta97Fi1jyK2gpFkHxx69e3pULyouXkXoKBVq4JGz4MEwMWoCFanQIYxvmmTrthiCBxcsmtKet2GN1DGM5skPfqcruIE/s1600/9IMG_0389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1xjMKIulquxfBAPC7vyVq8LJebFU6ddCS6U9HH7HUxDyv0SMta97Fi1jyK2gpFkHxx69e3pULyouXkXoKBVq4JGz4MEwMWoCFanQIYxvmmTrthiCBxcsmtKet2GN1DGM5skPfqcruIE/s320/9IMG_0389.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World Trade Center Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcTDPYeVSnflcRcUyGFYs1JfqmuQukO_wnIOwwl5E-RBJpa09S_yMcyryB07bMkkJ0_onEYb3GbiseAnmrXrJJbKZEW-l0ZWydtUMrm1S3j2bZWzGXkBV-44zrRTi4iqvQhZYCPnjv0k/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcTDPYeVSnflcRcUyGFYs1JfqmuQukO_wnIOwwl5E-RBJpa09S_yMcyryB07bMkkJ0_onEYb3GbiseAnmrXrJJbKZEW-l0ZWydtUMrm1S3j2bZWzGXkBV-44zrRTi4iqvQhZYCPnjv0k/s320/5.JPG" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brooklyn Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSiSkxPC2CwjYHwz97ejwa-MN98tU8YWfMygrPT2Ba9HwujtC-zgbuimGuUDKTdqVps9Q4Kydc2KR9g7DpCVuIUP0Ee8RNgfgSLqGAmeppWH8RmjtSqTrELocr_qnS1lxUFRVtzB3PoI/s1600/11IMG_9069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSiSkxPC2CwjYHwz97ejwa-MN98tU8YWfMygrPT2Ba9HwujtC-zgbuimGuUDKTdqVps9Q4Kydc2KR9g7DpCVuIUP0Ee8RNgfgSLqGAmeppWH8RmjtSqTrELocr_qnS1lxUFRVtzB3PoI/s320/11IMG_9069.JPG" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Times Square and the New Year's Eve ball drop way up there</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GAUabMNCAjyzX_BFfg75z7dLsi_Pwb0wpns4alKccJT2RsRFAmCEcbwxIyn5gdoMedok-LFQ9otBL2oUSvCJdv716kVZPt7VsPsZJy5JvBjFqeMgN8cUIdlWxcnr3gL0mvcri6ViO-M/s1600/2IMG_9033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GAUabMNCAjyzX_BFfg75z7dLsi_Pwb0wpns4alKccJT2RsRFAmCEcbwxIyn5gdoMedok-LFQ9otBL2oUSvCJdv716kVZPt7VsPsZJy5JvBjFqeMgN8cUIdlWxcnr3gL0mvcri6ViO-M/s320/2IMG_9033.JPG" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Garden baby!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-13195272936969578952016-04-20T12:23:00.001-07:002016-04-20T12:23:45.847-07:0010 Weeks Later<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1UD1uYI4a_FU5e-lnMPPIuy1OpluaMZhSnactVtnssFRcMuZH-Lbnh0ypwYDl-bvbWwfiEROiMASTY4IhMyJp5gVYABhk_RXrME48WqJRKlhPQbIxDCPrTN-oFoCAmBOsfNb7HTz628/s1600/IMG_8217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1UD1uYI4a_FU5e-lnMPPIuy1OpluaMZhSnactVtnssFRcMuZH-Lbnh0ypwYDl-bvbWwfiEROiMASTY4IhMyJp5gVYABhk_RXrME48WqJRKlhPQbIxDCPrTN-oFoCAmBOsfNb7HTz628/s320/IMG_8217.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun times hanging at Siclovia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrMnqW9hWeTQf-qdk7s7a1vgbZGGRrNbKLWu_hHdBfdYufP9pg17Da52vA0-qHsehrqeURv3w9HYhYrZYChyphenhyphenUVr45CKi5iDJQAA0u2w0qFxle8zyiFU64BIYi1wTBseUBNUu5SuaUTuM/s1600/IMG_8288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrMnqW9hWeTQf-qdk7s7a1vgbZGGRrNbKLWu_hHdBfdYufP9pg17Da52vA0-qHsehrqeURv3w9HYhYrZYChyphenhyphenUVr45CKi5iDJQAA0u2w0qFxle8zyiFU64BIYi1wTBseUBNUu5SuaUTuM/s200/IMG_8288.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go Spurs Go!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqJLrqkB_WMIjxL5blNQtjR7bSpX3BrjlCZCRv97W9mOCir3M0bGDdTRFdXGpJsJ8eRUtk5AhQU74aAd2wXEL7CAU_O8zp74LotuvaDe9PSHNe_KKJj9gFrZYw38SrizuzOnriNaC28g/s1600/IMG_8118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqJLrqkB_WMIjxL5blNQtjR7bSpX3BrjlCZCRv97W9mOCir3M0bGDdTRFdXGpJsJ8eRUtk5AhQU74aAd2wXEL7CAU_O8zp74LotuvaDe9PSHNe_KKJj9gFrZYw38SrizuzOnriNaC28g/s320/IMG_8118.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought I was going to die on this run trying to keep up with Aixa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9NbwVxeM5ZL4mlG0ez4OybrcguAltTb2kHMnfCID5wiu8soOLxa0DWFcHSc6L5auP77coQ-2RV8FIn_OpJy7CKoPvBBmv1MGQnYG_pUXdTqlW_JEJmsr2MXEyQhrUSXzMJdoAXID6tY/s1600/IMG_8264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9NbwVxeM5ZL4mlG0ez4OybrcguAltTb2kHMnfCID5wiu8soOLxa0DWFcHSc6L5auP77coQ-2RV8FIn_OpJy7CKoPvBBmv1MGQnYG_pUXdTqlW_JEJmsr2MXEyQhrUSXzMJdoAXID6tY/s320/IMG_8264.JPG" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luckenbach 5k - 2nd in AG (with hardly any training!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCB-xHFi_2FstiJ2d8DQzmueujbt8JbLIu4S_DibxBGZQbiNoUreddeg8RoUI2NGh1c9mehaBkdjvQsPpmUbYC8Al1rdi98iu4QsLXElsYlLlY6h053txZgySNJahv8hJQ6E_a_dkLBk/s1600/IMG_8284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCB-xHFi_2FstiJ2d8DQzmueujbt8JbLIu4S_DibxBGZQbiNoUreddeg8RoUI2NGh1c9mehaBkdjvQsPpmUbYC8Al1rdi98iu4QsLXElsYlLlY6h053txZgySNJahv8hJQ6E_a_dkLBk/s320/IMG_8284.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First longish outdoor bike ride since the break! 8 1/2 miles...lol</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-57507075911678246472016-02-17T09:47:00.002-08:002016-02-17T09:48:51.663-08:00One week post-opAfter 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!<br />
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I'm managing to get along slowly but surely with one hand. It's pretty amazing how quickly you can adapt! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhooSkoeco50NhQzHcLsuapmq3Unk5KS8e72Gt7sJhjgrC0PfYcjhby_BO_k6FnckRg4AtlYY8kbrHGq7nLXxzNYVFzuRGno_msD5oBNWACMX0fiThEYQKF4rokgLNX56dGmviIp1wxdKg/s1600/IMG_7957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhooSkoeco50NhQzHcLsuapmq3Unk5KS8e72Gt7sJhjgrC0PfYcjhby_BO_k6FnckRg4AtlYY8kbrHGq7nLXxzNYVFzuRGno_msD5oBNWACMX0fiThEYQKF4rokgLNX56dGmviIp1wxdKg/s200/IMG_7957.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AEnFQAa46ZK4SOoYlFMKe5LXMjecx4baDN6hjsInmPK3Ei-1-tAy9FGj8yJ0Y_nqXuQycVk_0mIGZNA0fH0p7zxeSh5LYgCwQ_EXAGA2NJJdAjUpRiXCmNyauqhyXwL2w67jj55Veu8/s1600/IMG_7967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AEnFQAa46ZK4SOoYlFMKe5LXMjecx4baDN6hjsInmPK3Ei-1-tAy9FGj8yJ0Y_nqXuQycVk_0mIGZNA0fH0p7zxeSh5LYgCwQ_EXAGA2NJJdAjUpRiXCmNyauqhyXwL2w67jj55Veu8/s200/IMG_7967.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIr9ECsqp0B9lePjIw8JpgngCbcpDaPfilHuDBwfnW8m_csXJSAWhKSzpAnX1-CHEv9cdietc4eDkYAEG2aer2lYmSORnMXoglWngkewW24MtoMGgA7Pnhv-r0kfX3BEVhin5y12mpwpo/s1600/IMG_7971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIr9ECsqp0B9lePjIw8JpgngCbcpDaPfilHuDBwfnW8m_csXJSAWhKSzpAnX1-CHEv9cdietc4eDkYAEG2aer2lYmSORnMXoglWngkewW24MtoMGgA7Pnhv-r0kfX3BEVhin5y12mpwpo/s200/IMG_7971.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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Post surgery with Brian, Amazon Prime Now is awesome when you can't drive, and shower time is not fun.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAB9drGTO5fGTHhQ1GtVV-6NzSwuqQ0Qz9QDuP9Baybe8VDC2kHK4jqfk61gsnRkJ-txsFfewQOetXWK8xqx5nhQfWKdGxt9gPNsCmCXSK-wcPhm_uwOLJepUHyU8b7huNK559jC-UVQ/s1600/IMG_7951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAB9drGTO5fGTHhQ1GtVV-6NzSwuqQ0Qz9QDuP9Baybe8VDC2kHK4jqfk61gsnRkJ-txsFfewQOetXWK8xqx5nhQfWKdGxt9gPNsCmCXSK-wcPhm_uwOLJepUHyU8b7huNK559jC-UVQ/s320/IMG_7951.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-DdYb4LaK00yphw9J4f_5P4D7wLt-EGSPBLTkjRySzyDSU8fgFMKpvhu12UF9TcHfZo-LbpWrRPERLVu_y88N8Q22c5fHTOzgGNIFwzZ6jeYBkobZZ5SNdEE_aCagdgCq6JnBaTr5Ws/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-DdYb4LaK00yphw9J4f_5P4D7wLt-EGSPBLTkjRySzyDSU8fgFMKpvhu12UF9TcHfZo-LbpWrRPERLVu_y88N8Q22c5fHTOzgGNIFwzZ6jeYBkobZZ5SNdEE_aCagdgCq6JnBaTr5Ws/s320/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hand before and after surgery. Three pins!</div>
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Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-6830185632129914362016-02-08T17:19:00.000-08:002016-02-08T17:19:25.266-08:00When you hit a bump in the road...or ride off the road <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRx03CZ44VnMcqFZJyIVOvbgi1mHWVtlNM2gvqvsnV9Qxz64hKHxQhWCSaQ_feMNT051zp6HDSyDDKqxPC4i-XBxHbz9KxD_VttPnWXXiLQ1Di0s5C4xU_Gwzvy2wvaqK8G03lW3EPQU/s1600/IMG_7943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRx03CZ44VnMcqFZJyIVOvbgi1mHWVtlNM2gvqvsnV9Qxz64hKHxQhWCSaQ_feMNT051zp6HDSyDDKqxPC4i-XBxHbz9KxD_VttPnWXXiLQ1Di0s5C4xU_Gwzvy2wvaqK8G03lW3EPQU/s1600/IMG_7943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a>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.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5py7woxmX0MWyq4P8iURoEF6rkMTJ2JJF_xRLFn6iQuhQTYl15LmzbS-5LbTOODH9AHeaOhSv6vD1LLGbRxSWOgfnaYmJ3W5u0bJqyzyEYXIIDG0yRBH4eF8_329XKwdOCHmWM2TWVG4/s1600/IMG_7944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5py7woxmX0MWyq4P8iURoEF6rkMTJ2JJF_xRLFn6iQuhQTYl15LmzbS-5LbTOODH9AHeaOhSv6vD1LLGbRxSWOgfnaYmJ3W5u0bJqyzyEYXIIDG0yRBH4eF8_329XKwdOCHmWM2TWVG4/s320/IMG_7944.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRx03CZ44VnMcqFZJyIVOvbgi1mHWVtlNM2gvqvsnV9Qxz64hKHxQhWCSaQ_feMNT051zp6HDSyDDKqxPC4i-XBxHbz9KxD_VttPnWXXiLQ1Di0s5C4xU_Gwzvy2wvaqK8G03lW3EPQU/s1600/IMG_7943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRx03CZ44VnMcqFZJyIVOvbgi1mHWVtlNM2gvqvsnV9Qxz64hKHxQhWCSaQ_feMNT051zp6HDSyDDKqxPC4i-XBxHbz9KxD_VttPnWXXiLQ1Di0s5C4xU_Gwzvy2wvaqK8G03lW3EPQU/s320/IMG_7943.JPG" width="240" /></a>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.</div>
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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!<br />
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Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-28203474897987175392016-01-25T17:00:00.001-08:002016-01-25T17:00:30.273-08:003M Half MarathonLast 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super happy finisher!</td></tr>
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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. :)<br />
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Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-48462445404131094632016-01-22T14:55:00.000-08:002016-01-22T14:55:27.764-08:00Houston 13.1<br />
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!<br />
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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.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet Snow White!</td></tr>
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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.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ironman? Lol</td></tr>
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Done! Warming up!</td></tr>
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So completely happy with this race and I definitely will be back! ;)<br />
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<br />Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-43503276445662172002016-01-20T14:15:00.000-08:002016-01-20T14:15:30.465-08:00San Antonio Rock n Roll 13.1I 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. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-race pic with the A-team. Brian had already moved his way to the front of the crowd so he crush his race.<br /></td></tr>
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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!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kris, Linda, and Alex giving us great big PINK cheers!</td></tr>
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BeoUXgXS-w_m_TrZMypcVPM_qJ4tcqXGqeMN3wRcLdtbmf8SSYNcQ13h13gI9qj0QGEUp-efU_zsybGpMS_-tcy-Tu_sakhOODuJNEItUfnMq-D_lynBRrpgWlPbrOjrrZZKKRin6hU/s1600/sarnr1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BeoUXgXS-w_m_TrZMypcVPM_qJ4tcqXGqeMN3wRcLdtbmf8SSYNcQ13h13gI9qj0QGEUp-efU_zsybGpMS_-tcy-Tu_sakhOODuJNEItUfnMq-D_lynBRrpgWlPbrOjrrZZKKRin6hU/s320/sarnr1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-race selfie. Three happy finishers!</td></tr>
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<br />Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-90794616893091665192016-01-20T06:18:00.001-08:002016-01-20T06:18:14.643-08:00Oilman 70.3 Race report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo shoot for Chloe & her racing shoes:)</td></tr>
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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.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Super Gemma!</td></tr>
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xuZW8y5nHfNJvWPi2aYzvtVKD3StyZ0fPrZVcRru5q-UzzhU6xmfXIZnV5WzR9YsFiJZcu7zLaI-P5n6EN-n-464zo_vU272lAdODki9Q1biV4Z11q9JSxYg9IQ7AUVtFwIBdMvSzsw/s1600/IMG_7205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xuZW8y5nHfNJvWPi2aYzvtVKD3StyZ0fPrZVcRru5q-UzzhU6xmfXIZnV5WzR9YsFiJZcu7zLaI-P5n6EN-n-464zo_vU272lAdODki9Q1biV4Z11q9JSxYg9IQ7AUVtFwIBdMvSzsw/s320/IMG_7205.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My face when I saw Aixa!</td></tr>
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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!<br />
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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.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuznwaFk_2tuexZqNS4tpLSisTBUrptnayM-QcDbcaM-DdBBuA_OZQnCgXE5JHm3nU4tW1qClQzpTLXcmMzb_xlPGik917bG_emthNdeElWjuI2gwejdGos9lQ-sryNGAktQGCj608Pk/s1600/IMG_7202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuznwaFk_2tuexZqNS4tpLSisTBUrptnayM-QcDbcaM-DdBBuA_OZQnCgXE5JHm3nU4tW1qClQzpTLXcmMzb_xlPGik917bG_emthNdeElWjuI2gwejdGos9lQ-sryNGAktQGCj608Pk/s320/IMG_7202.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DONE!!! Almost a 1 min PR!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy finishers!<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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Swim - 43:41<br />
T1 -2:37<br />
Bike - 3:00:39<br />
T2 - 1:44<br />
Run - 1:57:12<br />
Total - 5:45:54Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-52186127434458241012016-01-14T14:08:00.000-08:002016-01-14T14:08:47.934-08:00Kerrville Olympic TriI 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.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5Cl4B8w9dSda4BYhPSzf286QrqOFOubCvChj932NAm-fSHVtuDKPOmRtXQG67ThhmK4t3FLAm9eOW_6lf64-Y1XflbkgVWVTzAauhW7G_54wcCo71AlhGb3umD92nvfKHCMQmJv3me8/s1600/IMG_6479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5Cl4B8w9dSda4BYhPSzf286QrqOFOubCvChj932NAm-fSHVtuDKPOmRtXQG67ThhmK4t3FLAm9eOW_6lf64-Y1XflbkgVWVTzAauhW7G_54wcCo71AlhGb3umD92nvfKHCMQmJv3me8/s200/IMG_6479.JPG" width="160" /></a>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.<br />
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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!!!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnndoHLMhiljMXHrHoNoCSs6TKmHKpNht-izm3fAKnKGUpSPe05H9gftBa9CSCBBUWOSfx_cKUTydz-STUC2n2YgClgq37l8So54YeXYULpN3W4i2utpHrotxFM1a24P0DwBa_kCXUZQ/s1600/IMG_6511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnndoHLMhiljMXHrHoNoCSs6TKmHKpNht-izm3fAKnKGUpSPe05H9gftBa9CSCBBUWOSfx_cKUTydz-STUC2n2YgClgq37l8So54YeXYULpN3W4i2utpHrotxFM1a24P0DwBa_kCXUZQ/s200/IMG_6511.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
Swim: 21:58 - still need to get faster in open water<br />
T1: 2:45<br />
Bike: 1:26:32 (20.1 mph)<br />
T2: 2:40<br />
Run: 54:36 (8.32 min/mi)<br />
Total: 2:48:33<br />
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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!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wyInJCVbKCq95jhrNYI0fTORG15d7vUfdlcRXXgdXOsZX-sY2IpxH5E7HqqW3U_nyIaZhTJjut_Oyh6J-mbdNsQ_qNVWM6z_TPB06gygMt3gWPe3MD3oet0acx-XB2PrvDJ7n5is-ak/s1600/IMG_7131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wyInJCVbKCq95jhrNYI0fTORG15d7vUfdlcRXXgdXOsZX-sY2IpxH5E7HqqW3U_nyIaZhTJjut_Oyh6J-mbdNsQ_qNVWM6z_TPB06gygMt3gWPe3MD3oet0acx-XB2PrvDJ7n5is-ak/s320/IMG_7131.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved the new 1-loop run course!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Podium!</td></tr>
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Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-67369021940083478882015-11-04T08:48:00.001-08:002015-11-04T08:53:53.932-08:00Lululemon SeaWheeze 13.1 Vancouver/Whister adventures<div style="text-align: justify;">
So my big and most exciting trip this year was traveling to Vancouver to run in the Lululemon SeaWheeze Half Marathon. Registration was an experience all in itself, as it sells out fairly quickly. Me, Brian and our friends Aixa, Allen, Herb, and Cheri were lucky enough to all get into the race! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vancouver from our hotel room</td></tr>
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Fast forward to August 2015 and we were off to Vancouver! I've never been there before and I had such a fun time exploring the city and going to Whistler for a day trip. I would highly recommend visiting these two cities to anyone who has ever thought about going. There is so much to do and see. I definitely plan to go back and do more exploring there. Apparently they were having a heatwave with their temps of 80 degrees. We laughed at all the locals and said that we would take their heatwave any day!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring Whistler</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zip lining Whistler!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After about 2 hours of waiting<br />
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convention center - to wait<br />
some more!</td></tr>
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Friday morning came and Cheri, Aixa, and I got to experience the </div>
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madness of the Lululemon expo. Ironman expo lines have nothing on this. I guess with 10,000 runners the lines are going to be longer, and the girls there definitely had a plan to make sure they got the gear they wanted. If I do this race again, I most likely will be skipping this part of the experience. Not that I'm not happy with the gear I did pick up, but there was a lot of standing the day before the race and we had to miss the yoga that was being held because we were hungry and tired and didn't care about yoga at that time.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to run!</td></tr>
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Race morning came and, just in time, so did a cool front. We woke up to cloudy skies and breezy weather. We grabbed a taxi for a quick ride down to the race start and after checking in our gear we found our place in the corrals and before you knew it "Oh Canada" was playing and then we were off!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the happy finishers!</td></tr>
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I quickly fell back from Brian and Aixa and settled into my own rhythm. Running through the downtown area was neat and there were tons of spectators lining the roads cheering us on. The crowd support was awesome all along the run course. There never seemed to be an empty spot along the road as far as I can remember. Pretty soon I was running through Stanley Park and along the sea wall and I was blown away by the gorgeous views. It was so pretty and I was so happy to be running there it made it easy to ignore the fact that I was running 13.1 miles. When I hit the 10 mile mark and started to make some calculations in my head I realized that I was on pace to go sub 2 hours. I made sure to keep my pace steady and hunkered down to ignore the pain and go for it. I ended up crossing the finish line in 1:54 and change - a 4 minute PR!!! This was not something I was expecting and it made this trip even more unbelievable for me. </div>
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Afterwards we grabbed some food and went back to the hotel to clean up and relax before heading out to the Sunset Yoga Festival and Concert in Stanley Park. We got there and Aixa and I finally got to do some of the group yoga. That was a lot of fun doing yoga in the park with 1,000's of other people. Then the music started and we just relaxed and hung out listening to the music and enjoying the wonderful weather. The clouds from early had cleared up and the sun was out and it was a beautiful day. </div>
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This is definitely a great racecation and one that I would love to do again!<br />
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Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-24017574157394186892015-10-07T14:37:00.001-07:002015-10-07T14:37:10.734-07:00Marble Falls Tri....only a few months lateAfter Cap-Tex I got serious with my training and started a coached plan again. I decided to try something new and Brandi Shipman was nice enough to agree to coach me. I just needed to give myself a fresh perspective on training. I think I fell into a rut and I needed to make it fresh and new again. I've dedicated myself to the training and it seems to be paying off.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-race shenanigans!</td></tr>
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Come July and it's time for Marble Falls Sprlympic race - not quite a sprint but not a full Olympic race either. Kris did this race too so that made race day super fun to be able to hang before and after and chase on the course.<br />
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Right off the bat I noticed a huge difference in how I felt when I started the bike. I've actually been doing my swim workouts and on race day it showed. I felt fresh getting on my bike instead of totally exhausted from the swim. I had a decent swim and felt I had a decent bike. I still need to work on those hills, but it's coming along. As I got off the bike and headed for the run I felt good. My legs were turning over and I had a good pace going. The miles just seemed to tick by and before I knew it I was climbing up the short hill towards the finish line!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming back in from the bike! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading out on the run!</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: start;">I had a super fun time and improved my time by I think 12 or 13 minutes from the last time I did this race and got 2nd in my AG!</span></div>
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Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-87684710675351758072015-05-29T14:09:00.000-07:002015-05-29T14:09:15.924-07:00CapTex DuathlonWell as the title implies, my first triathlon of the season got turned into a duathlon because of heavy rains we have been having in the area. My thoughts go out to all those affected by the flooding and damaging storms that have been coming through the area.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRvV3zDIX-6npgO3ExZKtnYda5xpVo8vZVOy7CVhT2OfZl2FzMzl9V9MNJKCuU4-YzjMPhGzqVT_j4yTSxjwxV3-BS1lwMFpg3hvimP6ZCz5A8jRA3KnwDdlDIEM3Q9LbeKJni6BcvDc/s1600/captex2015a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRvV3zDIX-6npgO3ExZKtnYda5xpVo8vZVOy7CVhT2OfZl2FzMzl9V9MNJKCuU4-YzjMPhGzqVT_j4yTSxjwxV3-BS1lwMFpg3hvimP6ZCz5A8jRA3KnwDdlDIEM3Q9LbeKJni6BcvDc/s320/captex2015a.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not swimming in that water!</td></tr>
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Suffice it to say, there was a lot going on news wise this Memorial Day weekend so when Sunday came around and they announced at packet pickup that the swim had been cancelled I was not surprised. Lady Bird Lake was flowing with tons of debris and who knows what else that turned the waters into a muddy looking cesspool (more so than usual). I was bummed for my friends who had signed up to do the relay, as their superstar swim ringer (Linda) was not going to be able to swim. But she still came up and cheered everyone on and was a great sport out there. Thanks Linda!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Packet pickup superstars. We made the CapTex FB page!</td></tr>
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Having it changed to a time-trial bike format with a 10k run made me kinda excited to see how hard I could push on the bike and run. During my training my legs always feel like lead weights when I tried to run off the bike, so I was nervous about going hard on the bike and still trying to have a good run. My age group was one of the very last to go for the Olympic wave so the waiting seemed to take forever. I actually probably got on the bike around the same time I would have if we would have swam but it was a slow process getting out of the gate.<br />
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I was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly the time trial start on the bike was. They spaced us out 5 seconds apart and the way out of the parking lot was super clear with none of the congestion I had been worried about. Once out on the course it was smooth sailing. I really liked the new route they used this year as it eliminated the short, steep hill around the Capitol. The course is four loops and I got up as fast as 19.8 mph on my first loop and was back down to 19.3 at the turnaround to start my second loop. I told myself that I needed to stay in the 19's for the rest of bike....and I was able to do it! According to the official results I average 19.93 for the 24.8 mile course - one of my fastest bike splits.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh the cramps!</td></tr>
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I had opted to run with my package of Clif Shot Blocs in my hand the night before and take one bloc every mile instead of drinking the Gatorade at the water stations. This was a decision that turned out to save me during the race. I was extremely happy by how quickly my run legs came to me. I didn't have any of that "dead weight" feeling that I had while I was training. This was a huge motivating factor for me! I took a bloc immediately as I started the run and just grabbed some water to sip and pour on me at the first water station. As I came up to the second water station I took another bloc and grabbed some more water. Things seemed to be going smoothly. I liked the new run course too as it ran us around the front of the Palmer Center and over the bridge and back again as opposed to running around downtown for a block or so. The cloud cover was holding so not having the sun beating down on me was super nice. Then as I was heading out for my second loop I passed the water station but didn't take a bloc. I was feeling good and just wanted to keep up my pace. As I turned to left to start to make my way up the one "hill" that's on the race course both my quads above my knees started cramping. I refused to stop running and tried to adjust my stride to see if I could loosen the cramps up. I got up the hill and they still hadn't subsided. I quickly downed two blocs and almost immediately I felt relief. My electrolytes must be messed up! I had two left with 3 miles to go. I had to use them wisely. Finally my watched beeped and I only had 2 miles to go. I took another one and the cramps stayed away. My quads were hurting from the cramps but it was manageable. My friend Karen had caught up to me and we ran together for a little bit. She gave me some encouraging words and I told her to stay on my heels (which she did!) and as I passed mile 5 I took my last block and hunkered down to see what I had left in the tank to finish. As I ran <br />
out over the bridge for the last time and hit the turn around my cramps came back over my quads and also down along the front of my left shin. I was wobbling around on my legs refusing to slow down. The finish line was just around the corner!! I hung on and finished the run in 55:51, taking 2 minutes off my previous CapTex run time.<br />
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After learning that the swim had been cancelled I set a goal of 2:15 for myself to finish the bike and run. I ended up finishing in 2:12:29, exceeding my goal by almost 3 minutes. It was so much fun seeing all my friends out on the course and on the sidelines cheering. Everyone's support is so appreciated and I'm thankful for it. So even though it wasn't officially a triathlon, I'm super happy with my first race of the season and can't wait to tackle the next one.<br />
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Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-30541221596090380282015-04-27T17:33:00.000-07:002015-04-27T17:38:41.831-07:004 outta 5Well, April was supposed to be my 5th half marathon in 5 months But back in the beginning of April my wisdom teeth decided to start "moving" again causing me to be 37 years old and "teething". Ugh - so not fun. Trust me, I now have complete sympathy for babies going through teething. It sucks! After my dentist visit we set up an appointment to have my two right wisdom teeth removed the Thursday before the race. Lots of people I spoke too said not to worry about the removal, I'd be fine, and maybe even be able to run my half. <div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGQANaomQmMC5W8OUB7uwS9IZSzxNO3Rrb4neIzzEe-qH4esuLRWkjnQJQIe4EVAa1UcW19_AMLWpcnOaTNraSAoHMeg1Yqb0odG_OnG9zBU9dslX2SXKJEWPccSTdyiHnXK2Re8V6_U/s640/blogger-image--819913059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGQANaomQmMC5W8OUB7uwS9IZSzxNO3Rrb4neIzzEe-qH4esuLRWkjnQJQIe4EVAa1UcW19_AMLWpcnOaTNraSAoHMeg1Yqb0odG_OnG9zBU9dslX2SXKJEWPccSTdyiHnXK2Re8V6_U/s640/blogger-image--819913059.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGQANaomQmMC5W8OUB7uwS9IZSzxNO3Rrb4neIzzEe-qH4esuLRWkjnQJQIe4EVAa1UcW19_AMLWpcnOaTNraSAoHMeg1Yqb0odG_OnG9zBU9dslX2SXKJEWPccSTdyiHnXK2Re8V6_U/s640/blogger-image--819913059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4uBRa1dDV2ccdw8scOBZ_OI44Oz3iysm5GvGqKDuxYElulp7GGuEm4Kw0nboP3I6kPvAGvwdV9jVkDed1wdlddzsJftvsVmsP7fVnuDAtOLKaJDQw1RuW4TfdeU2Xf7-RAQlLEg1wZI/s640/blogger-image-2143470970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4uBRa1dDV2ccdw8scOBZ_OI44Oz3iysm5GvGqKDuxYElulp7GGuEm4Kw0nboP3I6kPvAGvwdV9jVkDed1wdlddzsJftvsVmsP7fVnuDAtOLKaJDQw1RuW4TfdeU2Xf7-RAQlLEg1wZI/s640/blogger-image-2143470970.jpg"></a></div></div><br>Long story short - ended up not being able to run the half but I was able to drop down to the 5k race and had a blast pushing myself on a tough little course!<br>
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Started at the front of the pack and quickly fell into a rhythm. With the adrenaline pumping through my veins I didn't even feel my aching jaw so that was a plus for about 30 mins or so. It was an out-and-back course so I was able to start counting the females in front of me once they hit the turnaround. I counted 10 when I got to the turnaround and passed one to move into 9th as she stopped to drink water. Then I caught up to another one and passed her to move into 8th. I heard her stay on my heels after I passed her and just kept pushing the pace hoping she would fall back. Then we hit an uphill section and I picked up my cadence and did quick short strides to pump up the hill and when I hit the downhill stretched out my stride to make the most of the downhill instead of enjoying the recovery. I didn't hear her breathing behind me anymore but didn't let up fearing she was still with me biding her time. Finally got to a section that allowed me to see the runners behind me and I saw that she had fallen a good enough distance off me. This was a relief but also spurred me on to keep pushing it a little bit further so I didn't get passed at the finish line.<br>
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Since I hadn't been planning to run when I left the house in the morning I didn't bring my Garmin and didn't think to carry my phone with me to record my run. I knew from the hills and from how my legs and breathing were that I would be under 30 mins but didn't know by how much. I was thinking somewhere between 28 and 29 mins. As I hit the last turn before the finish line I figured it would be 29 minutes. Finally, the last turn to the finish I picked up the pace and hoped the girl from behind me didn't suddenly appear. Sure enough 29:10! Crossed the finish line light-headed and feeling like I had run a half. Since this was a smaller running race the age groups were broken down into 10 year increments. I looked at all the females around me who had already finished and thought I might have a chance to place. I kept my fingers crossed....and came away with a 2nd place AG finish!!</div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWch8PqvtMjPcyed7fV9Kxi7C2pqMHmj2ubOLGtegfFwifibt_D4tj6Rjl49bANWfDpNPjA3HL4h92qGk4-I0yEvuYRrVUNTN52H7bofTikuPb5Vr51wEYLEIAZRKUFn0DynBo8tQ9CSo/s640/blogger-image--1646103054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWch8PqvtMjPcyed7fV9Kxi7C2pqMHmj2ubOLGtegfFwifibt_D4tj6Rjl49bANWfDpNPjA3HL4h92qGk4-I0yEvuYRrVUNTN52H7bofTikuPb5Vr51wEYLEIAZRKUFn0DynBo8tQ9CSo/s640/blogger-image--1646103054.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWch8PqvtMjPcyed7fV9Kxi7C2pqMHmj2ubOLGtegfFwifibt_D4tj6Rjl49bANWfDpNPjA3HL4h92qGk4-I0yEvuYRrVUNTN52H7bofTikuPb5Vr51wEYLEIAZRKUFn0DynBo8tQ9CSo/s640/blogger-image--1646103054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtruNR7tE9Jun9Akg6fORejsHVeJBsdq_Rv0Ld077PPxnowHLLvWEbaQVSEvO_DBVpquhArgFHpkGy_ODvzKYHP-MVel895ZroItHqgoRp5ZBvDjofk89pCKOZTUWn7jT9x_U3G4oMjAM/s640/blogger-image--475659899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtruNR7tE9Jun9Akg6fORejsHVeJBsdq_Rv0Ld077PPxnowHLLvWEbaQVSEvO_DBVpquhArgFHpkGy_ODvzKYHP-MVel895ZroItHqgoRp5ZBvDjofk89pCKOZTUWn7jT9x_U3G4oMjAM/s640/blogger-image--475659899.jpg"></a></div></div><br><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">What started out as a day feeling bummed about not being able to run my half turned into a fun, spur of the moment race! I must say that the Texas Wine Series and Carrera Races put on a great race with a great venue. We got nice finisher medals (even the 5k), a wine glass, a t-shirt, and yummy, delicious food from La Madeline, which I wish I was able to enjoy more of but couldn't (boo hoo). IAAP had the race results up in a jiffy and were on the ball about time corrections. Definitely a race series to keep in consideration. Plus a legit race course! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div>
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Plus I have to give a huge shout-out to Brian, who won the Overall Masters Half Marathon race with a time of 1:45 on a super tough, hilly course! Way to go my love! So super proud of you!!</div>Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-74891323673557101312015-03-26T15:35:00.000-07:002015-03-26T15:35:22.856-07:00:28 seconds...The Alamo 13.1 half marathon would be my 4th half marathon in 4 months. When I first signed up for it, I was leery of the timing because it falls on the first weekend of March Madness. If you don't know me, you may not know that I have an almost unhealthy obsession with college basketball in the month of March. This is when college basketball holds its national championships and from Thursday-Sunday of that first weekend there are basketball games on from 11 am in the morning to 11 pm (or later) at night. And I have to watch as many as possible. I schedule days off from work so I can stay home and watch them on opening day. <div>
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But I reasoned with myself that I could run a half marathon in the morning and be home in time for the tip-off of the first game. No socializing at the end of this race - Just get in, get it done, and get out. My partner in crime, Aixa, was a great friend and picked up my packet for me so I wouldn't have to leave the house and miss a game. Again, many thanks to you!!</div>
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This was my first time doing this race and it was a decent race. There were some sections of the course that had lots of turns and it takes you down on the Riverwalk so it's pretty scenic for the out of towners doing the race but, at the same time, these turns and tight corners made it hard to get around people and possibly slowed my pace just a bit. The section through Brackenridge park and Incarnate Word was nice. I got to see some sections that I hadn't seen before so that was neat. So, while not my favorite course, I would still recommend it to someone if they wanted to do it. </div>
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I didn't really have any time goals for this race, except maybe see if I could maybe go under 2 hrs. As the time and miles ticked off my calculations had me coming in around 2:02 or 2:03. For how tired I was for staying up so late the night before I decided to just settle for that and I backed off my pace just a bit. Why I decided to do this, I'm not sure. Just goes to show that my head and heart weren't really in this race. After I finished and looked at my Garmin I wanted to scream. My time showed 2:00:28. No way!! Only :28 seconds away from going under 2 hrs when I totally had it in me to push a little harder than I had!!! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rain we had the day before the race caused one section to be a mud bath!</td></tr>
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My big lesson here was to never give up in a race!! I'm dying knowing that I left those :28 seconds out there and that the next time I run I will not pull myself back. I will go for it with everything I have so I don't have to see those :28 seconds mocking me!!</div>
Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2200549244059648837.post-40892109886392109492015-03-12T20:37:00.001-07:002015-03-15T18:46:56.464-07:00Alamo RunFest 13.1 recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVPjLbHnzcKfZxSBRhbgCUiVnbg44p7ttUaMIKiIteUyH0AHCUJ5qXO0ptY6d-IYUwqpYLabSC9qwHfpt8HvNpqFuO7U31KldzODeG4MfpC6-QQby7e36nBKmgIWg0qTun3sCAawNDCM/s640/blogger-image-1818465330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVPjLbHnzcKfZxSBRhbgCUiVnbg44p7ttUaMIKiIteUyH0AHCUJ5qXO0ptY6d-IYUwqpYLabSC9qwHfpt8HvNpqFuO7U31KldzODeG4MfpC6-QQby7e36nBKmgIWg0qTun3sCAawNDCM/s640/blogger-image-1818465330.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div>So, as we were driving up to the 3M packet pickup Aixa and I started looking for another race to do in February. We were having fun running halves and decided to try to do one a month! We found the RunFest website and it fell on a weekend that worked, so we signed up!<div><br></div><div>A few of the lures of this race was that it was local (yay!), we got to run through Ft. Sam Houston (super cool), the finish was in the Alamodome, and HEB was a sponsor of the race and planned to hand out Mootipia chocolate milk at the finish line!<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> I loved the size of this race. It's not too crowded so parking was a breeze race morning and you could get in and out of the port o' potties with no problem. </span></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9oaU1HDlUiwByT0hg63iZsSypszyjCmIK1PXFq2_kyjOuQ9MJRAmzbCOFHDW8oismYVHRvss5iPmXE51SjYNonyjA3o9Xb1nhUQj5EymzDhop839d-1ffmTRTBhkDb2P1qI9A9P3LH4/s640/blogger-image-1316889570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9oaU1HDlUiwByT0hg63iZsSypszyjCmIK1PXFq2_kyjOuQ9MJRAmzbCOFHDW8oismYVHRvss5iPmXE51SjYNonyjA3o9Xb1nhUQj5EymzDhop839d-1ffmTRTBhkDb2P1qI9A9P3LH4/s640/blogger-image-1316889570.jpg"></a></div></span></div><div><br></div><div>Before the race we ran into our friend, Q, who had signed up for the race on the spur of the moment and it was fun to hang with her beforehand and chitchat and hear about all her running adventures. </div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0ZChS4BKrktZ8O5CH1WwckirUxRLAkd4HjOJFTbA0m9E2MEF3QZlYWbqAgdnVh9T1bv24R_5pPb6H4P7ZkK5KPz2_lkhyphenhyphenIBgC0eQa36NJI26ol0Ndvn79sEmvG768GB3ZOqdPJUq52o/s640/blogger-image-1550546105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0ZChS4BKrktZ8O5CH1WwckirUxRLAkd4HjOJFTbA0m9E2MEF3QZlYWbqAgdnVh9T1bv24R_5pPb6H4P7ZkK5KPz2_lkhyphenhyphenIBgC0eQa36NJI26ol0Ndvn79sEmvG768GB3ZOqdPJUq52o/s640/blogger-image-1550546105.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZv613R8-XF-y6-Kn9Xan_euDARPfUbD-ov6x6ZfzXtWjFvTKO2swTxmhO4l3bruIjMXGeTemhNtum6RSn1U1A_TusPpmx6qV9wJ893e9EFjba0VzAENSDL7XDBcLM3NSGoU06j0lgus/s640/blogger-image-1507003595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZv613R8-XF-y6-Kn9Xan_euDARPfUbD-ov6x6ZfzXtWjFvTKO2swTxmhO4l3bruIjMXGeTemhNtum6RSn1U1A_TusPpmx6qV9wJ893e9EFjba0VzAENSDL7XDBcLM3NSGoU06j0lgus/s640/blogger-image-1507003595.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I can say that I honestly loved this run course. It was mostly flat with a some small inclines here and there. Running into Ft. Sam was super cool. There was a band playing and the soldiers were out cheering for the runners. Seeing them cheering us on was so motivational. I felt like telling them that they didn't need to cheer for me. They are the ones fighting for our country, I should be cheering for them. Thank you for your service!</div><div><br></div><div>We ran a little over 5 miles on the base and it was neat to see the inside of it. Around mile 6 or 7 I started to feel myself slow down a bit and struggled to keep up with the girl I had been pacing behind in my sights. Around mile 8 the 2 hr pace group passed me. I was determined to not let them get too far ahead of me. According to my watch I was close to being on target for a sub 2 hr race and I thought that they might be a little ahead of schedule so I tried not to panic too much. </div><div><br></div><div>As we left the base we had about 3 miles left to the finish and I saw that I was closing the gap with the 2 hr pace group. I kept up a steady pace and caught them with 2 miles left. The dome was in sight! I debated staying with them briefly before I realized that I was feeling good and decided to push myself. I have a little motto that I say to myself on each run when I hit the 2 miles left mark: "2 miles left. You can do anything for two miles. Well, except walk on your hands, but you're not doing that." I don't know where that came from, but it stuck, and now I say it everytime. </div><div><br></div><div>I got confused for a bit when I noticed some runners ahead of me taking a turnaround. I had actually studied the map of this run course and didn't remember there being another turnaround after Ft. Sam. As I approached it, I realized it was the 5k or 10k runners and I was so happy to realize I didn't have to take that turnaround. The only problem now was having to weave my way through the crowed streets. It was easy for me to fall in behind a slower runner and let my pace drop. I think I did a good job of not doing that and passing them as quickly as I could. I knew those 2 hr peeps were right behind me. Finally, the last turn to the dome came into view and I knew it was a little incline on the access road and just dropped my head and ran. I looked at my watch and saw 1:57 and knew that I would make the last few feet in under 2 hrs!! </div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzbXIMHz6X1J0z7UnCycoUGHAdYqhHR8PkdHHKn4_cS_cc082NsU2I_V2gYsjDzs1HTXsHiY2zuyZ3QO6wqQBgyJl0u4PylHb0MWDgTB-otacMemjnAGHWxrHMecEnMWe4WnaAOn8qQg/s640/blogger-image--1109454688.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzbXIMHz6X1J0z7UnCycoUGHAdYqhHR8PkdHHKn4_cS_cc082NsU2I_V2gYsjDzs1HTXsHiY2zuyZ3QO6wqQBgyJl0u4PylHb0MWDgTB-otacMemjnAGHWxrHMecEnMWe4WnaAOn8qQg/s640/blogger-image--1109454688.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWb7Nj9vubtKMYRjBC369KeETfskt2Tp-b3y0_J-ls3FuS00k8ymKnGA8Lk01020vHjkmAorK2SKSFgkx6KqinfGplw8B0GiD_QarenknxwnRwSDL5VscI1hYtfXRrOVOgdxXoRk7IZg/s640/blogger-image-924733403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWb7Nj9vubtKMYRjBC369KeETfskt2Tp-b3y0_J-ls3FuS00k8ymKnGA8Lk01020vHjkmAorK2SKSFgkx6KqinfGplw8B0GiD_QarenknxwnRwSDL5VscI1hYtfXRrOVOgdxXoRk7IZg/s640/blogger-image-924733403.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>I ran into the dome and crossed the finish line in 1:58:17 - only 6 seconds slower than my half the previous month. I consider this race my official "PR" race because it's on a course that is not known <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">to be a downhill race and to me felt like a legit course. It was so nice to finally break that 2:01 mark! I definitely recommend this race and plan on doing it again next year!</span></div>Orissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00356064822949238205noreply@blogger.com0