Coffeeneuring #1

Coffeeneuring:  A relaxed weekend cycling endeavor involving coffee, bicycling, conversation, good friends and -  because it's inspired by randonneuring - a wee bit of paperwork thrown in for good measure.   

This past weekend marked the start of the 2nd Annual Coffeeneuring Challenge .  Being a lover of all things cycling and all things coffee, it seems like the perfect way to celebrate the end of the official randonneuring season and the beginning of the winter training season.

Having roped the always game Lynne into the idea of taking on the Challenge, we published our intentions on the facebook page for the Oregon Randonneurs.   Bill, the ultimate coffeeneur (having coffeeneured for more than 60 weeks in a row to date) decided to join us, as did my partner, Jeff, who can always be persuaded to come along if there are pastries and coffee involved.

I suggested this week's destination, Insomnia Coffee, because I knew I'd be tired after riding John Kramer's 2012 Bikenfest 200K the day before.  Insomnia is less than 3 miles from my house; a perfect "recovery ride" distance!

Accordingly, the four of us descended on Insomnia at 10am on Sunday morning.

  The place was hopping, with a long line to order.

Sugar-free vanilla latte, please!  I had fun composing my lame version of an artistic coffee montage.

Being mindful of the "bike riding with paperwork" aspect of Coffeeneuring, we were all careful to document the experience, per the Coffeeneuring Challenge Rules.

Photo courtesy of Lynne Fitzsimmons

Documenting the documentation

Documentation completed, we commenced relaxing in the unseasonably warm October sunshine!

Bill, the ultimate Coffeneur

Mileage for the day: a whopping 7.1 miles.  
Enjoyable company: priceless

RACE REPORT: 2012 Blue Lake Olympic Triathlon

When I started randonneuring, I would begin preparing for a 200k a full week in advance, obsessively worrying about every little detail.   Now I can run out and do a 200k with nothing more than a couple of gels in my bento box and a quick glance at the weather.

The same sort of thing has happened to me in triathlon.  I've done so many sprints and olympics over the years that I know precisely what I need for both distances without giving it much thought.   So there I was at 8pm on Saturday night, finally pulling my gear together for the next day's Oly tri at Blue Lake in Troutdale.

As always , I laid out the gear I'd need by sport, from head to toe.

SWIM
Tyr Warm Wear cap
BodyGlide
event cap - light blue for wave 8
foam earplugs
prescription swim goggle (Barracuda -4.5) in blue
Blue Seventy Helix wetsuit
Blue Seventy neoprene swim booties
Road ID neoprene chip band with timing chip attached
1 pre-race GU Roctane

BIKE
helmet
Tifosi sunglasses with mirror
socks
SIDI dragons
1 pre-bike GU
1 water bottle filled with Gu Brew
Profile Design Aero drink bottle to be filled with Gu Brew
2 GU on bike
Garmin 800

RUN
race belt with number affixed and loaded with 2 GU
handheld 5 oz water bottle
Moving Comfort run cap
Brooks Ghost 4 with Speed Laces
mp3 player
allergy meds

Also into my transition bag went 2 small towels - one to lay my gear on and one to dry my feet after the swim.

Then I laid out what to wear to the event:
tri suit (test-wearing a CEP compression tri suit)
bra (test-wearing a 2XU tri bra)
heart rate monitor
Garmin 910
sweatpants and wool top to wear to the start


Bags loaded, I was in bed and asleep by 10pm

The alarm went off at 4:45 and we were out of bed by 5am.  Quick breakfast of oatmeal with coconut & cinnamon, coffee and water.   Took some allergy meds.   Loaded the car and we were out of the house by 5:45.   Quick stop at Starbucks and we were underway by 6am.    Arrived at the venue at 6:30.

Scored a spot on the racks with some elbow room and set up my transition area.  I'm picky about how I lay things out and take the time necessary to have it just like I want it.  I find this to be a calming exercise.

The "learning" from this event ( I always learn something!) is that one's running shoes are not the ideal vessel for storing one's pre-run GU.  Mine decided to leak all over the footbed of my left shoe! (MMmm, peanut butter flavored footbeds...yum.)  Fortunately, the grass was dewy and a few strategic swipes later, the footbed was clean again.

Stood in the portapotty lines twice (typical), scoped out the flow of the transition area (all the ins and outs for each leg, especially in from the swim, since I'm so blind) and wandered down to the waterfront to see the lake.  The warmup area inside the buoys seems to have shrunk, leaving little space for athletes to do more than simply get wet.

At 7:45 I returned to transition to suit up. (Wave 1 at 8am, mine at 8: 30) Applied plenty of BodyGlide around the neck of my suit, grabbed my goggles and cap ( decided against double capping as the water was 64 degrees), sucked back some more allergy meds, stuck my ear plugs into my ears and deposited my regular glasses into my run shoes

Waded into the water with Jeff.  It was cool, but not cold.  The first underwater dip is always the hardest, and my HR spiked immediately.  Jeff stayed with me for a few minutes while I bobbed under a few times, then I took a few strokes.  The warmup area was so crowded that there wasn't a way to do more than a stroke or two without hitting someone or reaching the limit of the buoys.

The race was started in 10 waves, each 5 minutes apart, which seems like overkill for an event with only 375 participants.   Jeff was in 7, I was in 8 and friend Lee in 9.  We watched the earlier waves go while we warmed up as best we could.  Some of them were quite large.  My wave was by the far the smallest.  Women 40-44 were the sole occupants of wave 8 and there were only 13 of us!   We looked behind us at the huge group to start in 9 and started joking about how we we destined to get swum over by that hoard.

Countdown... and we were off!   It's a straight swim out to the first buoy.  My HR spiked immediately, of course, as did my rate of respiration.  Adrenaline flooded my arms and legs and made me feel a bit dizzy.  I started to get that gasp-y, panicked feeling I always get at the start of an open water swim. I  spent the first minute or two breathing only on my right, while I calmed myself down, slowed my breathing and tried to find a rhythm.   Eventually I settled into my usual bilateral breathing pattern and rounded the first buoy.     This turn brought us around heading due east, straight into the morning sunlight, and parallel with the shoreline.    I knew (I thought) that there were 4 buoys after that, three red & 1 green.   The presence of the green one was odd, but I didn't give it too much thought. Heading into the sunlight, though, I had a hard time finding *any* of them!  I paused a moment, finally spotted the next buoy, picked out a landmark above it, and swam towards it.   

Buoy by buoy, I made my way eastward.  It seemed to be going slowly, but I refused to check my watch.   After the 3rd buoy, I simply could not see the 4th, with the sunlight streaming in my face.  I felt like I was going off course, so eventually I stopped completely, popped my head out of the water, and finally spotted the 4th buoy up ahead.  Head back down, I swam towards it and after a few more course corrections, finally made it there.  Hmmm, this was the turnaround and it was red.  All the other buoys were red too.   What happened to the green one?

I headed for the swim exit, which seemed ridiculously far away.  I was having trouble sighting again, and eventually realized that the “missing” green buoy was a return buoy and that I should have been aiming for that to keep me on track.  As it was, I was quite a bit to the right.  I corrected again, and slowly but surely, found the swim exit.

Time to the mat: 33:23.  Official distance 0.9 miles, but my Garmin read 1.02 miles.  Bonus yardage or a long course?  Probably a bit of both.  :-)   I was 11th of 13 in my age group after the swim.

T1 - The run to the transition area was looooong.   I pulled my wetsuit off my shoulders and arms, but left my cap and goggles on.  Prescription goggles are the only way I can find my bike in the transition area AND not trip over anything getting there!    I found my spot, ripped off my goggles and cap, and put on my cycling sunglasses.  Ah, much better!  Off with the wetsuit, on with my helmet, socks and shoes.  I slammed back a GU and took off for the bike exit.   And ran.   And ran.  And ran.  Geez, Louise, I didn’t know I’d signed up for a cyclocross race.  The bike exit was faaaaaaar across a grassy (and kinda muddy) field.  My Garmin reports the total distance run from the swim exit to the bike mount as 0.28 miles!   No wonder my total T1 time was 5:05!

Bike:  I like the bike leg.  I always joke that I’m a cyclist who just pretends to be a triathlete.   Its a joke, but at the same time, it’s true that the bike leg of the event is the only one where I truly feel at home.  

Marine Drive is flat flat flat.  It has the potential to be very windy, but on this day, there was just a touch of a wind out of the west.  This gave us a slight tailwind to start on our way east, a slight headwind all the way west to the turn around, and then a slight tailwind again back to Blue Lake Park.  Lowlight of the ride was the several mile stretch of Marine Drive where the pavement had been ground down for an imminent repaving.  We got to do that in both directions.  It totally sucked.  Highlights of the ride were passing almost every female in my age group (and Jeff, who started 5 minutes before me, at mile 9.5).  Of the 10 women in my age group who were ahead of me, I passed 7 of them.  :-)  I, of course, didn’t know how many women were ahead of me (and knew they’d all be passing me on the run later...), but it was fun to take note of the ages inscribed on people’s legs as I passed by.   I passed *a lot* of people.  Yet, at the same time, I was careful to keep it under control.  I was given instructions to keep my watts under 175.   For the 24 miles, I averaged 158 watts at an average HR of 160 (this being an interesting # because the effort felt well below 160bpm.  I would have guessed I was closer to 150bpm, if asked).  This was a decent effort, but well below where I would have been had I been doing just a bike time trial.  I was well aware that I needed to run 6.2 miles after I got off the bike!   Consumed one 100 cal bottle of GU Brew and one Gu Roctane during the bike.  Official time on the bike 1:10:51.  20.66 mph.

T2 - another cyclocross run with the bike back to transition.  As I put on my running shoes, I became aware that my left glute was TIGHT.  Hoped it wouldn’t cramp on the run.  Off with the bike glasses and helmet, on with the race cap.  Sucked back another Gu.  More allergy meds (notice a theme?)  Grabbed my mp3 player, 6oz handheld waterbottle bottle, and ran out of transition.  Total T2 3:06

Run:  I don’t know what to say about the run.  I want to be all positive and upbeat, but really, that’s hard for me.  Why?  Because *running* is so hard for me.  It’s like I’m standing still while everyone on the planet passes me by.  Old people, young people, fat people, skinny people....they all run right past me.  It’s depressing, frankly.   The ugly statistics:

Mile 1: 9:12 165 bpm
Mile 2: 9:44 168 bpm
Mile 3: 10:04 169bpm (Gu at 3 mile mark)
Mile 4: 10:12 170 bpm
Mile 5: 10:38 170 bpm
Mile 6: 10:54 175 bpm
0.22 to finish 10:26/mi 181 bpm

Good Lord, it’s a wonder I didn’t have a coronary in the last mile.  Sheesh.

Total run time of 1:03:02, 10:07/mile, 6.22 miles, 170bpm avg (!)  It’s worth pointing out that my tested anaerobic threshold is 169bpm, so I was basically pegged during this run.  Not surprisingly, I felt kinda woozy the last mile or so, just trying to hang on until I crossed the finish line.  I was totally spent when done, and just leaned on a table for a few minutes while I recovered. Hung out for a few minutes waiting for Jeff & Lee to finish. They both did great and I was happy to be there to congratulate them.

Total time for the day was 2:55:27.  8th of 13 in my age group.  3rd fastest bike time in my age group, 3rd slowest run.  <sarcasm>What else is new?</sarcasm>  I know I’m supposed to believe that if I hold back *on* the bike, that I’ll run better *off* the bike.   But here’s the thing: I *did* hold back on the bike.  And I still run like crap.  Losing weight would help, I know.  And I’m trying.   But geez, it’s not like I’m distinctly overweight.  I could lose 10 pounds, sure (was 139 race morning, and could be 129 if I were really disciplined) but it’s not like I’d see vast improvements by losing 10.  I don’t know if it’s my form, my stride, or what, but it’s kind of a downer to feel like you’re standing still out there on the run course. (likely solution: run more, complain less).

I also don’t think the problem is nutrition.  I had a solid breakfast, and consumed calories steadily.  
Pre-swim: 100
T1: 100
Bike:200
T2:100
Run:100
Total = 600 calories over 3 hours.
Perhaps I could have handled another 100 calories or so without stomach distress, maybe that would have helped fuel my run more effectively.
I could probably have had more fluids.  Had most of a bottle in the hour leading up to the race, drank a full bottle on the bike, and had roughly 12-15 ounces on the run.  Would have perhaps liked a bit more on the run, but course support is not the greatest, and I didn’t want to get sloshy.

Allergy meds *could* be a factor.  Despite all the meds pre-race and during the race, by the time I finished I was in the middle of a full-blown allergy attack.  My eyes were tearing, nose was watering and I was sneezing. Might account for some of the elevated HR, but this *feels* like an excuse.

Before I headed home (31 miles on my bike, two hours!) I ate some food, drank a chocolate Muscle Milk (they are a sponsor.  the stuff’s not bad) and took yet more allergy meds.  Easy spin home, averaging under 110 watts.  I thought it would suck to ride home, but it actually felt good and helped flush the crap out of my legs.   I’m a bit stiff today, but not especially sore.

Next up:
Pacific Crest Half Ironman in Sunriver on Saturday, June 23rd.
10.5 weeks to Ironman Canada!


_________________


6-12-2012 Report edited to add:


It's been pointed out to me that I'm being too hard on myself. And that I should race for myself, not caring about what other people are doing.



I know that I can't control who else shows up. I can only control how *I* show up. 


This journey is about *my* fitness and how it changes over time. But I'd be disingenuous if I said I didn't also care about how I stack up against other women my age. But it's not really about winning or losing against them. It's more about what is and isn't possible for ME (which, rightly or wrongly, I benchmark by looking at what other women my age can do.) There's such a huge disparity between what I'm capable of on my bike and what I manage to eek out on the run. I find it very frustrating.  


BUT, in the spirit of trying to be a little more positive, here's what I think went well:


1) Pre-race prep was a snap. I know what I need, so I didn't stress over it.


2) I didn't have a panic attack on the swim!! This is a biggie for me, because I'm *very* prone to panicking in the water. I felt the adrenaline surge come on, managed to remain calm, and found a rhythm without hyperventilating and over-reacting. I'm hoping to carry that momentum to Pac Crest in two weeks. I had a terrible panic attack there 2 years ago, and do NOT want a repeat.


3) Had a great bike ride that was fast but felt easy. Love love love my TT bike. 


4) Looking for some positives on the run... well, that 9:11 first mile was a surprise. I felt like I was barely moving, but I guess I was! Um, well, let's see...oh yeah, I almost forgot. I *did* pass one gal with the #43 on her leg, so I guess I did pass someone in my age group on the run! um...I didn't cramp up, despite my tight left glute. um...I didn't throw up in the last mile, does that count? 


5) I enjoyed racing with Jeff & Lee and seeing them both out on the bike & run course at various points. Slapped some high fives with both of them on the run course as I was on my way back while they were still heading towards the turnaround. They both did really well.


6) No "mechanicals". All my gear performed well. My goggles didn't leak, my wetsuit didn't chafe, my bike shifted flawlessly, no blisters from my run shoes...



And perhaps the biggest positive of all:


7) MY IT BAND HELD UP!  I've been in PT every week since January.  I've foam rolled so much that I've worn a major dent into the roller.    Lots of stretching.  And it's paid off.  The IT band is not 100% (it's still a little tweaked today from the weekend's effort) but it gave me ZERO trouble during the race.  I forgot all about it, in fact.  Yay!

RACE REPORT: 2012 Canby Gator Grinder Triathlon

Here's a list of things that are inadvisable to do before a race:
1) Cut a hole in your trisuit while cutting out the hangtags
2) Come down with a lung infection 
3) Take medication (to combat said lung infection) that makes one sun sensitive
4) Lie awake at 2am coughing (courtesy of said lung infection) the night before the race.

But hey, anyone that knows me knows I'm always up for a challenge, so I decided to do all four!

In truth, of course, being sick really sucks. As I carefully made my way downstairs to my kitchen at 2am to make myself a cup of throat-soothing herbal tea to combat the coughing fit, I wondered for a fleeting moment if it wouldn't be wise for me to consider a DNS (Did Not Start). That thought quickly left my mind, however. Why? Because this event is more that just a local sprint tri. Each year, my staff and I make a big party out of it. TeamEstrogen.com pays their entry fees and all staff participants have free run of the warehouse to pick a trisuit of their choice for the event. After the race, we have a huge tailgate party with friends and family. It's a big teambuilding day for my staff and I. So, for all those reasons and more, there was no way I could seriously consider a DNS. 

So, after my tea, I went back to bed, knowing that 5am would come earlier than I'd like. Fortunately, the tea did it's throat-soothing trick and I slept well. After my standard pre-race fare of coffee, water oatmeal and banana, Jeff & I were underway at 6am for the 45 minute drive to Canby.

At 7am, we met up with the rest of the staff and our photographer for photos. Everyone was in good spirits, despite the typical pre-race jitters. After photos, we all trooped off to the swim center to cheer for staff member Edna, who was in the first heat.

Canby is such a beginner friendly event. It consists of a 500 yard swim (10 heats, 4 people to a lane, seeded by each athlete's self-estimated 500 yard swim time), a hilly-ish 12 mile bike ride, and a pancake-flat 5K run. The pool swim is really the key to bringing newbies out for the race. So many people are afraid of the open water, but at Canby, beginners can stop at the wall and breathe with every lap if necessary.

Heat 1 consisted of the slowest swimmers, with swim times gradually decreasing all the way to Heat 10, where the 6 minute folks strut their stuff. Over the years, with much pool work, I've managed to work myself into later and later heats. This year I was in Heat 7, Lane 3 beginning at 9:30am. Jeff has made huge progress in the pool in the past 2 years, so he too was in Heat 7, Lane 5.

After watching Edna swim, I went off to set up my transition area. I scored a primo end-of-rack spot with plenty of space to set up my bike and run gear. That done, I ate a banana (8am) and went off to watch a few more heats. 

At 9am, I laced up my run shoes and headed off for a 10 minute warm up jog. It had been 7 days since I had done ANYTHING (not one iota of activity since the previous Saturday when the congestion settled into my chest!). Jogging along, I tried to assess my physical state. My lungs felt OK. Not great, and I suspected I would have trouble on the 5K. My legs felt OK too. Again, not great, as a week's worth of inactivity had allowed my left IT band to tighten up, despite diligent work on my trusty foam roller. But all in all, I felt well enough that I figured I could at least finish the race and enjoy the day with my staff.

At 9:15, I returned my run shoes to their place in transition, grabbed my swim cap and goggles, and headed to the pool. On deck, we waited while Heat 6 finished up. One very slow swimmer (who clearly belonged in an earlier heat) meant that we weren't allowed into the pool until 9:27. With just 3 minutes until the start of our heat, we all swam half a lap, turned around, adjusted our goggles, and waited for the whistle. 

With 4 people to a lane, the start is staggered. Each person is assigned a position (1 to 4) and the whistle goes off at 5 second intervals. Your final finishing time takes these staggered starts into account, so you must start in your assigned position. I was position 3 in the lane, so at 9:30:10, off I went!

I have never enjoyed swimming. I have a primal fear of drowning, such that sometimes simply sitting at my desk in my office just thinking about swimming makes my throat feel tight. So above and beyond the physical techniques of learning to swim, I've had to do a lot of “head game” work to force myself to remain calm while swimming. Perhaps because I went into the day with such low expectations, I found myself swimming with a strange sense of calm, something I rarely experience. I concentrated on breathing evenly, elongating my body, proper arm position, etc. Oddly, I felt my right foot cramp slightly after pushing off the wall a few times, something that never happens to me, but fortunately it didn't turn into a charlie horse. I had my feet tapped twice (the sign that the person behind wants to pass at the wall) and then late in the swim tapped the feet ahead of me so that I could pass. Beyond that, we were a good lane of compatible swimmers, without anyone who was really too slow or too fast for our lane's pace estimate of 9:45/500yds. 

I hit the wall at 9min 34seconds, a result with which I was thrilled (a new PR!)! I haven't swum a sub-10 minute 500 all season, so I was stoked. Time to the T1 mat was 9:43.

T1 went very well. We exited the swim center and I easily found my bike at the end of the Heat 7 rack. Off with the goggles, on with the helmet, glasses, socks (yes, I wear socks) and shoes. Across the rack I spied Jeff, also gearing up, and I congratulated him on his swim time. I grabbed my bike and headed to the exit, immediately behind Jeff. Total T1 time was 1:12 (also a PR!).

I clipped in and headed off down the road, with Jeff up ahead less than 100 feet. For the first half mile, I held that distance between us, then accelerated and passed him. The first 4.5 miles of the bike course are very flat, allowing me to settle in to my aerobars, get my adrenaline-charged heartrate and breathing under control, and take an inventory of my physical state. I noted that my heartrate was higher than ideal, and tried to bring it down a little before the hills started at mile 4.5. The next 6.5 miles roll up and down continually with fast descents and a couple of leg burning climbs. The race photographer, of course, positions himself right at the top of the steepest climb, all the better to get dramatic shots, I suppose. 

Overall, the bike went alright. I didn't have much “spring” in my legs on the climbs and my left IT band also started to talk to me briefly on the last climb, but then it shut up (and I wouldn't feel it the rest of the day, thankfully). My HR was definitely higher than I would have liked. Clearly, the chest cold was taking its toll. The last mile of the bike course is flat, which gave me a few minutes to settle down my HR again and to visualize the move into T2.

I rolled into T2 with an elapsed bike time of 37:59 (which I didn't know at that moment, but is actually a PR for me on this course.) I racked my bike, ditched my bike shoes, and as I'm putting on my run shoes, who should roll into T2 but Jeff! He later told me he had me in his sights for much of the ride but didn't try to reel me in. I snapped on my race-number belt, put on a run cap, and headed out of T2 with an elapsed time of 1:19 (surprise, another PR!) while Jeff was still mucking with his shoes.

The first part of the run is across a grassy field, which I always find awkward as I'm still trying to get my run legs under me. After we round the school building adjacent to transition, we emerge onto the pavement. The run is an out-n-back, with 2 loops of a lollypop at the far end. I managed the first mile in 9:34 but as I started to round the first loop, I knew my goose was cooked. Actually, “cooked” is a good metaphor for what started to happen to me. Temps were in the upper 70s (not especially hot, really) with bright sunshine and I started to bake; I began to feel lightheaded, like I wasn't getting enough air, and felt vaguely nauseous. It was right around this moment when my doctor's voice floated though my head.... “Doxycyclene will make you sun sensitive...”. Reading up on it after the fact (ie. today), here's what the National Institute of Health has to say about doxycycline: “Doxycycline is used to treat bacterial infections, including pneumonia and other respiratory tract infections ….plan to avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to sunlight and to wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Doxycycline may make your skin sensitive to sunlight. ….Doxycycline may cause side effects. ...Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately: ….difficulty breathing or swallowing ... ...redness of the skin (sunburn) ...upset stomach.”

Of course, at the moment, all I could think of was how I needed to hold it all together for just another mile or so. As I rounded loop one and loop two, I could see Jeff gaining on me. Finally, I left the loops and headed back the last mile towards the finish. Rather than concentrate on my decidedly queasy stomach, I reminded myself that I had gotten past far worse last summer on PBP and that I could get past this too. I put one foot in front of the other and kept moving. Along that last mile, I spotted co-worked Katie and friend Lynne on their way out on the run course, and we high-fived as we passed one another. With just a few tenths of a mile to go, my friend Lee, who had already finished the race, appeared at my side and began to run with me. I told him I was struggling and he encouraged me to keep going. He looked back and said Jeff was ~5-6 seconds behind me. I know Jeff well enough to know that there was no way he would be that close to me and not give 120% to pass me. Sure enough, those looong legs of his took him right past me with just a minute or two left to go. With Lee's encouragement, I did my best to keep up, picking up my pace as best I could. 

See, I also knew something that I was pretty sure Jeff had forgotten. Remember that bit way back at the beginning of this report about lane position on the swim? Well, Jeff was position 1, while I was position 3. So, when he passed me, he thought he was beating me. What I knew, however, was that I had 10 seconds on him and that as long as I could keep the gap at the finish line to under 10 seconds, I would still beat him! Lee knew this as well. 

The final effort on this course is half a lap around a grade school track. As soon as Jeff crossed the line, Lee started a 10 second countdown. I gave it everything I could and crossed the line in 1:20:59. Jeff wasn't wearing a watch, so he had no idea what his time was. I knew we'd need to wait for results to be posted to see which of us would be triumphant.

A volunteer took my timing chip while I stood trying to catch my breath. I found the water station and drank several glasses, then found my friends at the finish line. As we stood around comparing war stories, my stomach settled down. We all cheered as Katie crossed the line (she won the race AND set a new course record!) and Lynne followed shortly thereafter. Lots of sweaty hugs were exchanged and our staff photographer captured all the important moments.

Jeff and I set up the tailgate party and BBQs while everyone else headed to the showers. As we all sat down to enjoy our hard-earned burgers, the organizers handed out the awards.

For the 3rd year in a row, I managed a 2nd place in my age group (40-44). I'd had illusions of grandeur this year, hoping to win it, but the chest cold knocked that all to the wayside. I was simply happy to have not collapsed on the course. :-) Despite my slowest run in the past 4 years (30:43), I still managed to beat last year's overall time on this course by 40 seconds. Not half bad for a girl with a lung infection.  :-) The coulda shoulda woulda of what might have been had I been healthy will have to wait until 2013.

Major props go out to the TE staff and friends, all of whom had AMAZING results on the course this year. Jeff beat last year's time by 13 minutes (and beat me by FOUR SECONDS!). Edna beat last year's time by almost 20 minutes! Lynne dropped her time by 3 or 4 minutes. Katie knocked 3 minutes off her time and set a new women's course record in the process. Linda dropped her time by 3-4 minutes and won her age group. Theresa completed her first ever tri and beat her first-timer brother by nearly 10 minutes! Over the years, we've sucked in many friends and family members into doing this event with us and without exception, ribbon or not, everyone had a great time.

2013, here we come!

Ironman Training Day 21: Noodle Flips?

Jeff and I shared a lane at the pool Friday morning. Neither of us wants to be caught by the other, so it has the (not so subtle) effect of making us both swim just a little bit harder! :-)

After our workout, we amused ourselves (and the lifeguards) by trying to do flip turns. I can sorta kinda do them, as in: I flip, push off the wall, and usually end up in the right direction. But most times I'm too deep or off center or twist too soon, etc. If feels awkward and makes me feel out of breathe. So, I rarely even try.

So off I went to youtube in search of some videos that would break down the process a bit. I found what looks to be a great series of drills. I'm going to give them a try over the coming weeks and see if I can get the rhythm down. I know there's no flipturning in an Ironman, of course, but I do a pool-swim tri every May, and if I can learn the skill I can improve my swim time for that event. Last year I was 2nd of 19 in my age group and this year I'd like to win it!

Here are the 5 videos for learning to flip turn.

STEP 1



STEP 2



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Ironman Training Day 20: The Zombie Apocalypse

I like Fun Runs. Give me a theme (New Years Eve run, the Muddy Buddy, the Shamrock Run, etc.) and I'm happy to don a costume and go get sweaty with a bunch of other like-minded, fun-loving athletes. (Though I draw the line at Underpants Runs and the World Naked Bike Ride. There's some things the world just doesn't need to see.)

So, when Cecil sent me an email with the subject line "re: Zombies!!", my curiosity was piqued. It didn't take much to persuade me, as well as our partners in crime Lynne and Jill, to sign up for the Zombie Apocalypse 5K Run.

The only question was: Zombie or Survivor? Just like running from a grizzly bear, I figure I don't need to be the fastest runner to survive and escape from the Zombies. I just need to be not amongst the slowest! And really, the only Zombies I care about being faster than are Lynne & Cecil, so with a 2 minute headstart, Survivor it is!

I'll let you know if I survive the onslaught.

++Click here to see The Oatmeal's take on the Zombie Apocalypse. Warning: link is not work-friendly or for those with delicate sensibilities. But then again, zombies are neither delicate nor sensible...++

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Had a great run this morning. 4.4 miles in 46 minutes, with just 2 minutes of walking. Knee started talking to me at mile 3. Must take care not to do too much too soon.

Ironman Training Days 17-19: Stick a fork in me

Monday, Day 17

After Sunday's long run, and only 5 hours sleep, I wasn't expecting to have a great cycling class on Monday morning. Despite my low expectations, however, I had an *amazing* class and hit all the target numbers. Who woulda thunk.

This workout was all about building power in Zone 4 (105-120% of Threshold Power). We did low cadence (60-70rpm) climbing intervals, spending ~30 minutes of the hourlong workout in zone 4. We finished the class with 4 shorter (30-60 second) intervals at Zone 5 or higher efforts. Our final effort was an all-out 30 seconds. I averaged 381 watts for that last one with a max of 462 watts. Whew. Stick a fork in me, cuz I'm done.

Tuesday, Day 18

Jeff & I stayed up late on Monday night making HOMEMADE Pumpkin-Sage Ravioli. The results were fantastic. But another late night, after more than a week without a rest day, meant that I made the decision to blow off the morning's swim and take a rest day instead. Good call.

Wednesday Day 19

I got nearly NINE hours sleep last night. Pure HEAVEN. Of course, that meant I was sound asleep by 8:30pm. Late night party animal I ain't.

Had another great class at C-Velo this morning. We rode with Robbie Ventura again, which is always fun (I could look at that man's legs all day). We spent the class working mostly in zones 3 and 4, following along as Robbie pacelined with his team (low zone 3 in the draft, high zone 3/low zone 4 when pulling), simulated bridging gaps to chase down race leaders, etc. It was a fast paced, constantly changing class that kept us on our toes.

I'm getting to know some of the folks in class a bit (it's always the same crew). One of the other gals is in her 60s. She's very inspirational: runner, triathlete, and in the kind of shape I'd like to be in "when I grow up." We're both signed up for the Pacific Crest Half Ironman in June, so it will be fun to compare training notes with her as the season progresses!

Ironman Training Days 15-16: Busy Weekend

I need a weekend to recover from my weekend!

Saturday, Day 15

Saturday marked my second weekend taking Rick's 8am cycling class at C-Velo, followed immediately by Jennifer's Yoga for Cyclists class at the same studio.

Rick worked us hard, and we spent most of our class working on building power at higher cadences. It really taxes me aerobically to work at cadence intervals of 95, 100, 105 & 110 rpm. But these drills definitely work. When I had my VO2 Max tested 2 years ago, I could barely hold 80 rpm during the test. But now I do threshold power tests comfortably at 92-94 rpm. I've always been something of a masher, but Rick is quickly turning me into a spinner. See, miracles ARE possible!

After Rick made jello of my quads, Jennifer proceeded to make jello out of my core. That, of course, is not very difficult, because the wimpy, weak muscles around my middle aren't even deserving of being *called* a "core". Oy vey, have I got some work to do.

After class I ran some errands (including dropping some serious cash at the Bob's Red Mill store - I just don't know how those Paleo people survive...), then returned home. Having just had my tri bike fit completed, I was anxious to take it out on the road for a real test drive.

The new fit is fantastic. I was only out for just under an hour, but I had NO trouble staying in the aerobars. The tweaks Stephanie made to my saddle hight, fore-aft position and the angle of the bars really made a difference there. The only thing I'm not totally sold on yet is the cleat position on my right shoe, but I'm going to give my body time to adjust to it.

And the bike really moves. I predict good results this coming season! :-)

After all that, did I sleep well on Saturday night? Why yes, yes I did.

Sunday, Day 16

For my 40th birthday 2 years ago, I ran the Girlfriends's Half Marathon in Vancouver, WA. It was my first ever half, and having just lost nearly 40 pounds, it was a very emotional day for me. Last year and this year again, I signed up for a repeat. Last year I took alot of time off my first year's result and was thrilled. Fast forward to 2011...Boy, what a difference a year makes.

I quit running in June. On top of all the mileage for PBP (upwards of 1000 miles per month from May to August), the tendons in my legs just couldn't handle the additional stress of running. I had to give it up. I was hoping to resume running in early September, after PBP, with the idea that I could salvage enough fitness to at least *finish* the Girlfriend's Half. Sadly, that was not to be. With the tendonitis in my left knee unhealed, I made the decision a month ago that I had to pull out of the event.

On Sunday, I carpooled to the start of the race with Jill & Catherine. My original plan was to go for an hour long run while they raced, then to join them at the finish. Instead, I decided to start the race with Catherine. I matched her pace for the first 3 miles, then short cut the course on the way back, for a total of 7 miles. I walked a bit in the last 4. My knee started talking to me somewhere around mile 6. Best not to push too hard yet.

In all, 6 of my girlfriends ran on Sunday. I'm so lucky to have such active, fun-loving friends!

Catherine (left) and Jill pictured above, wearing big smiles post-race.