TRIps with Friends
St. Anthony’s Olympic Distance Triathlon
St. Petersburg, FL
2:54:41 Swim (.9 miles): 39:53
TI: 2:26 Bike (24.9 miles): 1:17:48
T2: 2:22 Run (6.2 miles): 51:57
And so my 2010 Triathlon season has been kicked off. I only have three planned this year but it’s two Olympic and one half ironman, so in total mileage, it’s more than the 3 sprint and 1 Olympic last year. Since the Chicago Tri last August, I biked some outside in September and just kept up the swimming with half mile swims once or twice a week through December. In January, I started to bring the training back. In the Midwest, the triathlon season is only 3 months long, in June, July and August. Last year I kicked the year off early in April with a sprint in California. This year, I took it to Florida. I figured since FL is the state I’m 99% sure my Ironman will be in; I should get some practice in there. I have given shout outs to my running friends who race and train with me, but I don’t think I have for the wonderful friends I have all over the states that support my crazy goals even if they have no desires or interests to do the same. If you knew anything about me in middle and high school, you probably thought I was overly shy. In middle school I was the outcast, I started off with some friends but was too ‘goody two shoes” for them and so I really had no friends outside of my dance classes. I prayed for good friend which, I think God kind of took my request to an extreme, as Jen Addison put it “I have an unnatural amount of true close friends” …and the list just keeps growing. Listing off some of them I have been able to visit on my marathon and triathlon trips: Becky in NY, Lucy and Chelsey in AZ, Jen in DC, Amanda in Charlotte, the Devine Family- wherever I go and where they are and the list could go on but you should just read my previous write ups :) This trip, Alyssa invited me to stay with her. Alyssa and I met when I worked on a special project for the Bank a little over 2 years ago, we then both switched groups (from HBD to SAG) and had a re-encounter with our office needing Alyssa’s help with one of our Borrowers (system issues). We have kept in touch, and we had more of a cyber friendship than anything. I’m so glad we met because well, with this trip, our friendship has grown and she’s another friend I couldn’t imagine my life without. Back to training. I’m a bit of a spreadsheet nerd, which I think with what I do, you kind of have to be. My new favorite spreadsheet to stare at and analyze, is my weekly training log. David sent me over a spreadsheet he uses (maybe made?) and it tracks your weekly mileage in all three categories Swim, Bike and Run. He told me being an endurance athlete, I should total 4 weeks of training and only let the next 4 weeks of training go up 10%. I still have to figure out more consistency, with marathon training and tapering, I more or less have been fluctuating on my 4 weeks of mileage. BUT, I’ve become obsessed with making every effort to exceed 100 miles a week across all three and like staring at the sheet. Biking gives you the most mileage in a short period of time, but the run for me is almost half my mileage. Because of this spreadsheet, I have become more honest and consistent with my bike workouts. If you read my last marathon write up, I said I really hate biking. Well, with this triathlon that changed, but we will get to that soon enough. I planned on meeting up with David and his 3 friends in St. Petersburg for the triathlon. While training, I was getting nervous for this, because, well, David has kicked his 2010 triathlon season in high gear. Being in Charlotte, he can start the season early, and he has kicked some major butt placing in his division time- with every single race he has done thus far. Then Andy, who is a novice, placed in his second triathlon. Of course, I want to try to amount to some level of greatness to keep up. When I got to Tampa, Friday night Alyssa and I went out. Luckily I wasn’t too hungover Saturday, because I’m still in Marathon training mode (Marathon mileage never stops – not even for a triathlon). I got up at 7am Saturday morning and nailed out 12 miles. Alyssa (being the wonderful host/friend) and I then went to downtown St. Petersburg to take care of expo stuff. I jumped in the water to confirm I was correct in assuming I didn’t need to bring my wetsuit. I didn’t swim much, but I got reminded of what it’s like to be in open water- I got the taste of larger waves and salt water. After swimming, Alyssa and I met up with David and Dave W. at the expo. Prior to this trip, I have been thinking about getting a new bike. I know I just got my bike last year, but I’m not in love with it. It was an entry level bike and I knew I’d upgrade at one point. I was on the mindset, go big or go home, and since I don’t want to be taken advantage of, and I want a good deal, I volunteered David to help me out. He figured I could strike a deal at the expo, and I am SO appreciative to have him there to talk to the people for me. The idea is, since I have the road bike, I would mix it up and get a time trial bike, since they are for longer. I got on an Orbea and instantly fell in love. David did the talking, and on a bike that already was an expo deal, I got an additional 10% off, PLUS being out of state, there was no sales tax (think if I bought it in Chicago that would be an additional 10%!). The day ended up becoming a long day with getting fitted to my bike. But let me tell you, I couldn’t have been more lucky, as this guy saw me getting fitted and decided to come over and watch some. He started chiming in and changing things, and the next thing I know, he’s fitting me instead of one of the Outspoken Reps. He told me he wasn’t there to sell me anything, he just thinks if I’m going to be getting this bike, he wants to see me have everything on it right. He mentioned he travels to fit the professionals, but he was pretty modest in this. Turns out, he fits Lance Armstrong in his bikes, and I believe it’s Craig Alexander (a pro who happened to be at this triathlon place third), who ONLY lets this guy fit him. He also kind of taught me how I want to be riding on the time trial bike, how it differs from the road bike, and went over the best form with me. So here I am, Saturday afternoon, with a new bike and fitted on it by probably one of the best. With my first bike (which was 1/4th the price), I had buyer’s remorse. With this bike, I didn’t, and especially race day confirmed this was a great purchase. One thing I don’t recommend and knew I was entering an extra challenge, is I haven’t had the clip in shoes up til this point, so I had a crash course on using them and got to work with my bike very little to figure it out. Meaning, the triathlon would be interesting with a new feel I’m not used to. This triathlon was different than those in the Midwest, as the transition area was more organized. You had to put your bike in transition the night before. They have security guards watching over them all night, and you don’t pick your spot but are arranged by your bib number, and have to set them up on the stand alternating the front wheel down. So David, Dave W. and I went to set up our bikes. I enjoyed watching David in action as he takes in his surroundings and bike attempting to figure out the best ins and outs to shorten transition time….I tried to do the same. Sunday morning, Alyssa woke up and drove me to the start. She was nervous for me in the water as it was supposed to be a windy day, and Jarret’s mom was telling her stories of people who aren’t used to open water having to get pulled out. I know I’m not the strongest swimmer, but I also know I wouldn’t have to be pulled out- worse case, as Laura Bice had to do in one Chicago Triathlon, you float on your back. I set up my spot and was pretty happy with the spacing. There were a few bikes that didn’t make it to the triathlon that were supposed to be by me, so the girls around me and I decided to share the space with some of our extra stuff. The water temp was above 70 but below the temps where they don’t allow you to wear wetsuits. You don’t really need one in 70 degree water, but as one girl by me said, it will help her trim some time off her swim. I made it clear I wasn’t that crazy of a triathlete so of course, when she looked at my bike she assumed it was owned by the girl next to me as she was like “the girl next to you has a sick bike, that thing is amazing’ (yeah I’m sure it wasn’t the one next to me..Mine was the only real great one in the area.) I just chuckled. I don’t feel like letting a super competitive girl judge me. Around 6:15am I started walking to the start. I chatted with a few nice ladies. I went into the water to watch the Elites start, and found David. We watched the elite’s technique swimming against the waves. I knew the hourly weather forecast said the wind would pick up as I started and only get worse. I was really hoping the water would stay exactly how it was when the first group went off at 6:50am. My start was 8:09am (and it was only half way through all the starts). David’s group went off about a half an hour before mine, so I was able to watch him take off. Like the amazing triathlete he is, he was up near the front and looked strong. Once he took off, I chatted with a few others, and then got in line to start. I like being in the middle of the group. I don’t like the back because if I want to pass people, I don’t want to have to be kicked or expend extra energy going around them, and I am not fast enough to be in the front. Well, I happened to get trapped behind some bigger girls, and that made things a little difficult. As we made it out to the first turn, the waves started to get real choppy. On the long turn heading north, sitting was getting real difficult because the waves continued to pick up. I’m sure partway on that turn, the Clydesdale men started catching up and passing. I felt like I was getting to the back side of my group and that was discouraging me but I kept telling myself to stay positive. By the final turn, there were moments I didn’t feel like I was moving at all. I swallowed lots of salt water, and I tried to make my way through the waves but sometimes would get pushed back. My most annoying moment was when two girls needed to be rescued. They were to the right of me and the rescue boat was to the left and decided to cut right in front of me to get to them. As I quickly tried to make my way around (in big waves), I got a cramp which was not fun. I know the girls needed to get out- but couldn’t they float on their backs and let me pass instead of cutting me off? It felt like a lifetime when I finally got out of the water. The first few steps were woozy. When I got to the bikes I was shocked to see my area only about half gone (maybe a little more). A girl and I exchanged words about how the water kicked our butts (I later learned the waves were getting so bad, they ended up cutting the swim short for the end waves). Time to break in my bike! Being worn out from the swim, getting in my clips felt different than my few practices the day before. It took me a few tries but I got one in and off I went, working my foot in the other one. We got off the bumpy road and I started to soar. I passed one biker, two, three, four, I was working for it, but at the same time, I wasn’t in great pain. It felt so great, though the wind was strong. I probably only got passed by a dozen bikers, but I passed a countless number and I knew I have the bike, and my great fitting to thank for that. I took it easy on turns and curves because the new bike isn’t as great for those. As I rode I kept thinking “I love this and I love my new bike” The bike went fast, it was getting hot and I knew my back had to be getting a good tan. I made it to the end, and now came the dismount. The last 5 miles I kept thinking “twist your foot and plant one foot then get the other foot out, don’t fall” I thought I nailed it as I got the one foot out, planted it and then I couldn’t get the second foot out. As I twisted my foot, my body twisted with it and went down- yup that’s right, embarrassing! It wasn’t a real fall as I wasn’t moving and I was almost there but it was an idiot fall nonetheless. I ran my bike in and realized the clip in shoes made my feet feel different than the other way…a new feeling for the run. It was pretty hot at this point, and I wasn’t sure if my shirt and shorts were still wet from the swim or if this was now my sweat. After a bike, your run feels slow, when in reality it’s not THAT slow, it’s just slow relative to the bike. I couldn’t manage to get my breath in a comfortable place, but I just kept moving forward. There were lots of water stops and unlike the bike, I really enjoyed the wind cooling me down. We turned around about halfway and headed to the finish. I got stronger on the last 3 miles, though I was thinking I should average an 8, and averaged an 8:23. Once I crossed the finish, I knew I should be happy for the PR, but I’m finding myself just always wanting more, so of course I wasn’t 100% satisfied. Overall the race was great, it had its challenges but like I said in another write up, there are many variables in each tri, and you can’t compare them like they are all the same. You can’t even really compare the same triathlon on the same day with different start times. Chicago, the water and weather warmed up by the time I started, the Olympic distant people had it easier while the Sprint people froze. This one, the elites had it made, while the waves got progressively worse and sometime after my wave they cut the swim short to keep people out of danger (1000 meters so not that much shorter). The great news is, I have a new bike, I have another Olympic distance under my belt, and I got to spend another TRIp with great friends.
St. Anthony’s Olympic Distance Triathlon
St. Petersburg, FL
2:54:41 Swim (.9 miles): 39:53
TI: 2:26 Bike (24.9 miles): 1:17:48
T2: 2:22 Run (6.2 miles): 51:57
And so my 2010 Triathlon season has been kicked off. I only have three planned this year but it’s two Olympic and one half ironman, so in total mileage, it’s more than the 3 sprint and 1 Olympic last year. Since the Chicago Tri last August, I biked some outside in September and just kept up the swimming with half mile swims once or twice a week through December. In January, I started to bring the training back. In the Midwest, the triathlon season is only 3 months long, in June, July and August. Last year I kicked the year off early in April with a sprint in California. This year, I took it to Florida. I figured since FL is the state I’m 99% sure my Ironman will be in; I should get some practice in there. I have given shout outs to my running friends who race and train with me, but I don’t think I have for the wonderful friends I have all over the states that support my crazy goals even if they have no desires or interests to do the same. If you knew anything about me in middle and high school, you probably thought I was overly shy. In middle school I was the outcast, I started off with some friends but was too ‘goody two shoes” for them and so I really had no friends outside of my dance classes. I prayed for good friend which, I think God kind of took my request to an extreme, as Jen Addison put it “I have an unnatural amount of true close friends” …and the list just keeps growing. Listing off some of them I have been able to visit on my marathon and triathlon trips: Becky in NY, Lucy and Chelsey in AZ, Jen in DC, Amanda in Charlotte, the Devine Family- wherever I go and where they are and the list could go on but you should just read my previous write ups :) This trip, Alyssa invited me to stay with her. Alyssa and I met when I worked on a special project for the Bank a little over 2 years ago, we then both switched groups (from HBD to SAG) and had a re-encounter with our office needing Alyssa’s help with one of our Borrowers (system issues). We have kept in touch, and we had more of a cyber friendship than anything. I’m so glad we met because well, with this trip, our friendship has grown and she’s another friend I couldn’t imagine my life without. Back to training. I’m a bit of a spreadsheet nerd, which I think with what I do, you kind of have to be. My new favorite spreadsheet to stare at and analyze, is my weekly training log. David sent me over a spreadsheet he uses (maybe made?) and it tracks your weekly mileage in all three categories Swim, Bike and Run. He told me being an endurance athlete, I should total 4 weeks of training and only let the next 4 weeks of training go up 10%. I still have to figure out more consistency, with marathon training and tapering, I more or less have been fluctuating on my 4 weeks of mileage. BUT, I’ve become obsessed with making every effort to exceed 100 miles a week across all three and like staring at the sheet. Biking gives you the most mileage in a short period of time, but the run for me is almost half my mileage. Because of this spreadsheet, I have become more honest and consistent with my bike workouts. If you read my last marathon write up, I said I really hate biking. Well, with this triathlon that changed, but we will get to that soon enough. I planned on meeting up with David and his 3 friends in St. Petersburg for the triathlon. While training, I was getting nervous for this, because, well, David has kicked his 2010 triathlon season in high gear. Being in Charlotte, he can start the season early, and he has kicked some major butt placing in his division time- with every single race he has done thus far. Then Andy, who is a novice, placed in his second triathlon. Of course, I want to try to amount to some level of greatness to keep up. When I got to Tampa, Friday night Alyssa and I went out. Luckily I wasn’t too hungover Saturday, because I’m still in Marathon training mode (Marathon mileage never stops – not even for a triathlon). I got up at 7am Saturday morning and nailed out 12 miles. Alyssa (being the wonderful host/friend) and I then went to downtown St. Petersburg to take care of expo stuff. I jumped in the water to confirm I was correct in assuming I didn’t need to bring my wetsuit. I didn’t swim much, but I got reminded of what it’s like to be in open water- I got the taste of larger waves and salt water. After swimming, Alyssa and I met up with David and Dave W. at the expo. Prior to this trip, I have been thinking about getting a new bike. I know I just got my bike last year, but I’m not in love with it. It was an entry level bike and I knew I’d upgrade at one point. I was on the mindset, go big or go home, and since I don’t want to be taken advantage of, and I want a good deal, I volunteered David to help me out. He figured I could strike a deal at the expo, and I am SO appreciative to have him there to talk to the people for me. The idea is, since I have the road bike, I would mix it up and get a time trial bike, since they are for longer. I got on an Orbea and instantly fell in love. David did the talking, and on a bike that already was an expo deal, I got an additional 10% off, PLUS being out of state, there was no sales tax (think if I bought it in Chicago that would be an additional 10%!). The day ended up becoming a long day with getting fitted to my bike. But let me tell you, I couldn’t have been more lucky, as this guy saw me getting fitted and decided to come over and watch some. He started chiming in and changing things, and the next thing I know, he’s fitting me instead of one of the Outspoken Reps. He told me he wasn’t there to sell me anything, he just thinks if I’m going to be getting this bike, he wants to see me have everything on it right. He mentioned he travels to fit the professionals, but he was pretty modest in this. Turns out, he fits Lance Armstrong in his bikes, and I believe it’s Craig Alexander (a pro who happened to be at this triathlon place third), who ONLY lets this guy fit him. He also kind of taught me how I want to be riding on the time trial bike, how it differs from the road bike, and went over the best form with me. So here I am, Saturday afternoon, with a new bike and fitted on it by probably one of the best. With my first bike (which was 1/4th the price), I had buyer’s remorse. With this bike, I didn’t, and especially race day confirmed this was a great purchase. One thing I don’t recommend and knew I was entering an extra challenge, is I haven’t had the clip in shoes up til this point, so I had a crash course on using them and got to work with my bike very little to figure it out. Meaning, the triathlon would be interesting with a new feel I’m not used to. This triathlon was different than those in the Midwest, as the transition area was more organized. You had to put your bike in transition the night before. They have security guards watching over them all night, and you don’t pick your spot but are arranged by your bib number, and have to set them up on the stand alternating the front wheel down. So David, Dave W. and I went to set up our bikes. I enjoyed watching David in action as he takes in his surroundings and bike attempting to figure out the best ins and outs to shorten transition time….I tried to do the same. Sunday morning, Alyssa woke up and drove me to the start. She was nervous for me in the water as it was supposed to be a windy day, and Jarret’s mom was telling her stories of people who aren’t used to open water having to get pulled out. I know I’m not the strongest swimmer, but I also know I wouldn’t have to be pulled out- worse case, as Laura Bice had to do in one Chicago Triathlon, you float on your back. I set up my spot and was pretty happy with the spacing. There were a few bikes that didn’t make it to the triathlon that were supposed to be by me, so the girls around me and I decided to share the space with some of our extra stuff. The water temp was above 70 but below the temps where they don’t allow you to wear wetsuits. You don’t really need one in 70 degree water, but as one girl by me said, it will help her trim some time off her swim. I made it clear I wasn’t that crazy of a triathlete so of course, when she looked at my bike she assumed it was owned by the girl next to me as she was like “the girl next to you has a sick bike, that thing is amazing’ (yeah I’m sure it wasn’t the one next to me..Mine was the only real great one in the area.) I just chuckled. I don’t feel like letting a super competitive girl judge me. Around 6:15am I started walking to the start. I chatted with a few nice ladies. I went into the water to watch the Elites start, and found David. We watched the elite’s technique swimming against the waves. I knew the hourly weather forecast said the wind would pick up as I started and only get worse. I was really hoping the water would stay exactly how it was when the first group went off at 6:50am. My start was 8:09am (and it was only half way through all the starts). David’s group went off about a half an hour before mine, so I was able to watch him take off. Like the amazing triathlete he is, he was up near the front and looked strong. Once he took off, I chatted with a few others, and then got in line to start. I like being in the middle of the group. I don’t like the back because if I want to pass people, I don’t want to have to be kicked or expend extra energy going around them, and I am not fast enough to be in the front. Well, I happened to get trapped behind some bigger girls, and that made things a little difficult. As we made it out to the first turn, the waves started to get real choppy. On the long turn heading north, sitting was getting real difficult because the waves continued to pick up. I’m sure partway on that turn, the Clydesdale men started catching up and passing. I felt like I was getting to the back side of my group and that was discouraging me but I kept telling myself to stay positive. By the final turn, there were moments I didn’t feel like I was moving at all. I swallowed lots of salt water, and I tried to make my way through the waves but sometimes would get pushed back. My most annoying moment was when two girls needed to be rescued. They were to the right of me and the rescue boat was to the left and decided to cut right in front of me to get to them. As I quickly tried to make my way around (in big waves), I got a cramp which was not fun. I know the girls needed to get out- but couldn’t they float on their backs and let me pass instead of cutting me off? It felt like a lifetime when I finally got out of the water. The first few steps were woozy. When I got to the bikes I was shocked to see my area only about half gone (maybe a little more). A girl and I exchanged words about how the water kicked our butts (I later learned the waves were getting so bad, they ended up cutting the swim short for the end waves). Time to break in my bike! Being worn out from the swim, getting in my clips felt different than my few practices the day before. It took me a few tries but I got one in and off I went, working my foot in the other one. We got off the bumpy road and I started to soar. I passed one biker, two, three, four, I was working for it, but at the same time, I wasn’t in great pain. It felt so great, though the wind was strong. I probably only got passed by a dozen bikers, but I passed a countless number and I knew I have the bike, and my great fitting to thank for that. I took it easy on turns and curves because the new bike isn’t as great for those. As I rode I kept thinking “I love this and I love my new bike” The bike went fast, it was getting hot and I knew my back had to be getting a good tan. I made it to the end, and now came the dismount. The last 5 miles I kept thinking “twist your foot and plant one foot then get the other foot out, don’t fall” I thought I nailed it as I got the one foot out, planted it and then I couldn’t get the second foot out. As I twisted my foot, my body twisted with it and went down- yup that’s right, embarrassing! It wasn’t a real fall as I wasn’t moving and I was almost there but it was an idiot fall nonetheless. I ran my bike in and realized the clip in shoes made my feet feel different than the other way…a new feeling for the run. It was pretty hot at this point, and I wasn’t sure if my shirt and shorts were still wet from the swim or if this was now my sweat. After a bike, your run feels slow, when in reality it’s not THAT slow, it’s just slow relative to the bike. I couldn’t manage to get my breath in a comfortable place, but I just kept moving forward. There were lots of water stops and unlike the bike, I really enjoyed the wind cooling me down. We turned around about halfway and headed to the finish. I got stronger on the last 3 miles, though I was thinking I should average an 8, and averaged an 8:23. Once I crossed the finish, I knew I should be happy for the PR, but I’m finding myself just always wanting more, so of course I wasn’t 100% satisfied. Overall the race was great, it had its challenges but like I said in another write up, there are many variables in each tri, and you can’t compare them like they are all the same. You can’t even really compare the same triathlon on the same day with different start times. Chicago, the water and weather warmed up by the time I started, the Olympic distant people had it easier while the Sprint people froze. This one, the elites had it made, while the waves got progressively worse and sometime after my wave they cut the swim short to keep people out of danger (1000 meters so not that much shorter). The great news is, I have a new bike, I have another Olympic distance under my belt, and I got to spend another TRIp with great friends.
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