Race day doesn't care about you

It was past time. Way past time.

I was heading out for my first - and long overdue - 50-mile bike the other Sunday. The temperature was in the mid nineties, and it seemed to be competing with the humidity for first place.

Gary and I were at my sister-in-law's visiting with the family after church. Nearly everyone was taking advantage of the pool's refreshing powers, but I needed to leave early to head out for my ride.

As I began to work my way around the patio saying my goodbyes, telling them why I needed to leave early, everyone insisted that I should be swimming instead and thought I was crazy for taking on such a task.

Swimming just might have been the wiser decision, but I had very few weeks left before my next tri to put-out some good bike mileage. I, quite simply, had not a smidgen of room to care what the weather was that day...because Race Day won't be caring about me.

Race Day doesn't care that I either am or am not prepared for the brutality with which it might treat me. It's going to be what it's going to be, in all of its limitless characters and shades, regardless of what, where or who I am at the time.

I thought of this on my next ride, a 30-miler heading south of town on a boring, overcast afternoon. I was feeling quite zippy for the first half of the ride. The moment I turned around to come home I immediately knew why. I'd had the fortune of a tailwind, that was now, due to the simple turning of my bike 180-degrees around, my enemy.

I thought, more than once, that I wish that I had been closer to home because I'd just call it quits. Then I was grateful that home was 15 miles away, because I was left with no choice but to toughen it out...and to toughen-up.

My next tri is on the same course as my second tri from last year where the headwinds became so brutal, according to a story a friend in the tri club told me yesterday, a several-time Kona qualifier called it quits. Of course, we were experiencing the remnants of Hurricane Ike, now also known as Landicane Ike, but that particular course, regardless of landicanes, is prone to headwinds.

So, here's to going out of your way to look for the unusual training day, because Race Day could care less about you, but you'd better be caring about it.

25 percent is my new favorite number

I had been dreaming about this day for one year. Ever since I crossed the finish line of my first tri June 28, 2008, I've been itching to return with a much-improved version of myself and floor it.

Mission accomplished.

Back at the scene of that life-changing day one year later, the distances were the same, but some things were different. From the yawning sun's color shimmering on the little waves along the lake, to the confidence that energized my soul, this was a day that would affirm that I don't just compete in triathlons, but that being a triathlete is just who I am.

Now, out with my cheesy melodrama and on with the stats.

Last year I came in 207/217 overall, 40/42 in my age group and finished the .25-mile swim, 12-mile bike and 2-mile run in 1 hour and 57 minutes. The swim took me 27 minutes, the bike 1 hour and the run 24 minutes.

This year I came in 166/396 overall, 28/61 in my age group and finished in 1 hour and 25 minutes. The swim took me 15 minutes, the bike 45 minutes and the run 21 minutes.

My swim and bike times were pretty much dead-on with what I'd expected, but my run was disappointing. I can easily drop below a 9-minute mile on a 2-mile run, so I remain completely perplexed by what happened. However, my overall goal was to come in under 1 hour and 30 minutes and I did.

So, when you look at the overall times from last year to this year, approximately, I took 25 percent off my time. What an incredible PR for me and what a confidence booster as I continue on with my half-ironman training.

Wait. I'm doing a half-ironman? Uh, gotta go!

I went to a tri Sunday...as a volunteer

A friend of mine on Beginner Triathlete volunteered at a tri last year and she inspired me to consider doing the same.

So, I picked a tri that was early-on in the season that I knew there would be no way I'd race because the water would be cold, contacted the racing company and signed-up.

It was the Deer Creek Tri and Du and it's the same course where my half iron distance race will be in September, so I thought it couldn't hurt to visit the site again.

I was there at 6:00 a.m. and the volunteer coordinator put me in charge - with two other ladies - of registration. I thought they might have more seasoned volunteers run that part, but after taking care of the first person, I realized it was a piece of cake...and I had a blast doing it!

I loved greeting sleepy-headed people with a warm smile and a hello, and wishing them the best as I handed them their race packets. I especially loved seeing the excitement in a participant's face when they would tell me this was their first race - and I loved giving them some extra encouragement as I pointed to where they'd get their timing chip and body markings.

The lines were really long and it took us exactly two hours to get everyone signed-in. However, there were approximately 500 participants and we actually spent about 30 seconds with each person, so I thought it went very fast.

After that, we started setting up the post-race food tables and I pretty much helped to manage that until noon when we were dismissed. It was great talking with folks about how they thought their race went, and to just talk about tris in general without the stress of having just raced myself.

I always thank the volunteers, especially on the course. However, as a volunteer, you're so busy you forget that there will be folks who will stop and thank you, so that was always a pleasant surprise when someone did.

It ended-up being a very fun day and - if I wasn't busy racing these events - I would be volunteering instead.

Half iron distance training - so far

I'm on week four out of 22 of my half iron distance training. The first two weeks went really well. I managed to meet all of my requirements and was having a good time doing so.

Week three came along, and I managed to injure my knees. I attribute this injury to:

1) running slowly to meet the requirements for low RPE runs really messed with my ChiRunning form,
2) running with the dogs, again, messed with said running form,
3) possibly needing a new pair of running shoes as a couple areas of my feet are tender and

4) pushing really, really hard off the pool wall.

So, I've taken the last week off of running and this has helped some in easing the physical pain. It has, however, left me frustrated and a little despondent. Week two of this and I've already got an injury? Yeesh!

Now, the good news. This past weekend, I had an opportunity to take a total break and travel to Erie, PA. I thought traveling would be a nice reprieve from my training blues. I can't run but I can bike, so I loaded-up my two-wheeler into the SUV.

I debated on whether or not to bring it. Would it be too much trouble? Would I have time to ride it? If I had time, would I even ride it?

I am so glad that I brought it along! I had about a 20-mile, relaxing ride on a beautiful Saturday afternoon on the beach. It was dead flat and completely enjoyable!

The smell of the water, the slapping of the choppy blue waves, the strong wind off the shoreline and the energy from a couple hundred other bikers and runners really rejuvenated my spirits.

So, I'm back home now. I still think I need to take another week off from running, so I'm going to really focus on the bike and the swim.

Though this injury's slowed me down, I'm still working toward that finish line come September 27.

Miami University Student Foundation Sprint Triathlon - 4/18/09

PRE-RACE
Packet pick-up started at 6:00 a.m. I was there at 5:30, just to make sure that I'd have time to 1) find the place, 2) get a good parking space by the Transition Area and 3) have extra time in general. (That's me at the table in the white ballcap on the left.)

I went to pick-up my packet and only had to wait 5 minutes. The only race number they were giving out was a wrist band to wear for all three events. I thought this was unusual, but I was grateful that I didn't have to pin anything to my tri top.

I set-up in Transition, getting the spot closest to the aisle. The early bird gets the worm. I found a couple friends from the tri club and hung out with them for a few minutes.

I put on my swim cap and goggles, took off my shoes and all clothes but my trisuit and bolted for the rec center entrance. It was in the upper thirties and my feet were freezing against the sidewalk underneath them.

I then spotted the folks from Beginner Triathlete (BT) poolside, and we all chatted until numbers started getting called. (That's me in the gray swim cap on the left below.)

THE SWIM
COURSE
This was a 50 meter indoor pool. You started at one end, swam that lane to the end, touched the wall, swam under the lane rope into the next lane and repeated this seven times. The lanes were very wide.

COMMENTS
This was my first indoor pool swim. This was also my first tri without noseclips, and I'm proud to say not having them caused me no problems.

When I first got in, I had a shock because the water was so cold. After a few seconds I adjusted and got in my groove. During the second set of 50, doubt started creeping in, though it was just for one second, as I started to imagine how "far" away the end was.

I immediately told myself, "Oh, good grief, Lora. You swim this distance ALL the time in practice. SHUT UP!" That seemed to work.

There wasn't a lot of backlog at the lanes and I managed to swim underneath the ropes with no problems. Almost at the end, I was right behind two breaststrokers who were (unintentionally) bottle-necking the lane, and I was dying to pass them. Luckily, I was able to do that at the last 50 and made up for some lost time then.

I can't decide if I'm disappointed with my time or not. I typically do this distance in 10 or 11 minutes. However, when you consider that I was swimming with other people, had to slow down at times for them and that I had difficulty climbing out of the pool, I guess it's OK.

However, this was by far my best time/pace in the swim portion of a tri. Yeah. I'm going to choose to rejoice.

RESULTS
437 yards in 12 minutes, 58 seconds.

THE BIKE
COURSE
The beginning few miles were a little graded and had some rolling hills, but were decent. There were two huge mountains on the course and many people walked them. After and in between the mountains were some long, medium grade areas that were really tough. The ending 2 miles were flat.

COMMENTS
I had been warned about a very big hill on the course, but when I saw it, I kept on telling myself to wake-up because surely I must've been in the middle of a nightmare. I never woke up.

I was able to bike about one-third of it, but had to resign myself and join the rest of the folks (everybody) who were walking it.

At the bottom of yet another giant hill, there was a volunteer and a law enforcement guy. The volunteer shouted, "On the outside of the cones." I thought, "OK," and I did stay on the outside...but apparently for only one set of cones. I passed the law enforcement guy and he kindly said, "Oops, you didn't go on the outside of THESE cones."
Having now lost any momentum to help me initially up the hill, I slowed down to look at him. He said, "Oh, that's OK. Don't worry about it." I thought to myself: "Grr. NOW you tell me."

There were several areas where the course had a long, steady, tough grade. I kept my head down so I couldn't see the end of the grade so I wouldn't get discouraged by how much longer it was. I just biked to get through each moment. That really helped.

Several people passed me, but I also did my fair share of passing. Though the hills slowed me down significantly, I did have my best time on a 20K bike in a tri.

RESULTS
12.75 miles in 56 minutes.

THE RUN
COURSE
A very, very flat run through campus with several turns.
COMMENTS
When I run at home, I train on hills. That's just the landscape the good Lord's put at my door. I'm sure nobody will believe me, but I'm slower on flats than I am on hills and this showed in my time.
Because I hadn't stretched before the race, I had to stop three times to stretch my calves, which, of course, added to my time.
I feel safe in saying that I'm disappointed with my run time. I also could have pushed much more towards the end, but I didn't. Definitely some lessons learned here.
As I took off for and came back from the run, I passed some members of my tri club and some members from BT. Both groups were cheering me on which was so very cool.

RESULTS
3.1 miles in 33 minutes and 36 seconds.
AFTERTHOUGHTS
The timing company the racing company recently hired lost several participants' splits. They got the overall times for everyone, but most people never knew how they did in each event. I was one of the lucky ones.
I did come in 498/588 overall and 49/57 in my age group with a time of 1:45:44. This is huge considering that in my first tri I came in 207/217 overall and 40/42 in my age group. At the next tri, I came in 195/197 overall and 23/23 in my age group.
I had debated whether or not I wanted to even do this tri. I'm really glad that I did. It was a great event to gauge how my training has (or hasn't) paid off during the off-season.