Things I Learned at My First Tri

After years of saying that I wanted to try a tri, I finally got a little taste of one this past Saturday at the Windcrest Freshman Triathlon. I LOVED it! It was so fun, and it was perfect for a first time tri.  

The first thing I learned that day was NOT to speed on the way to your race. We got pulled over on the way there. :) Scott was driving and didn't even realize he was speeding. We were only going about 75 on the freeway, but the cops were being sticklers that morning since it was the last weekend of Fiesta, a big party that happens every April here. My first thought when we got pulled over was, "Crap. We're going to be late for my race. I hope we make it." My second thought was, "Crap. We've lived here for TWO years and Scott still hasn't gotten his Texas license yet!" (Technically you have about 30-90 days to get your new license. Scott's going on 700+. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be getting it soon.) 

Anyway, the cop was really mean when we first rolled down the window, and I was so worried we were going to get a BIG FAT fine for not having a Texas license. He asked what we were doing out so early in the morning, and after I told him we were on our way to my first triathlon, he went from a gruff grizzly bear to a soft teddy bear. He let us off with a warning, and even wished me luck at my race. I couldn't believe it! I think once he realized we weren't partiers, he decided he better get back to catching those that were out partying, so he let us go quickly. 

I hope you enjoy these embarrassing pictures of me. :) One of the main reasons I chose this race as my first tri was because the swim was short (200 meters), and it was in a pool. Swimming was pretty much the only thing keeping me from doing a triathlon sooner. I finally took a few swimming lessons last summer and learned how to swim, but the thought of swimming in open water still freaked me out a little, so this little pool swim worked out great. 

One helpful thing someone suggested to me before the race was to get in the water and get wet before it was my turn to swim. I'm glad I did that so my body was already used to the temperature of the water when I started my swim. 

Just in case that last picture wasn't embarrassing enough, I thought I'd post another one. The swim ended up being much easier than I thought. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. I guess I've come a long way since my first swimming lesson last summer where I didn't even know my head was supposed to be under the water, and then turned to the side to breathe. I might even kind of like swimming a little bit now. :)

Another thing I learned is to bring my iFitness belt so I can have my number attached to it, and a little snack in it. I thought I was supposed to pin my number to my shirt after I got out of the water. I guess that's fine if you want to waste a lot of time. 

Luckily I realized this before the race started by talking to one of the race volunteers. I ended up pinning my number to an extra t-shirt I had in my bag before the swim, and then I threw that on when I got out of the water. 

The first thing I learned about the bike part of the race was that getting on your bike in the transition area and starting to ride is a big no-no. Good thing this tri was intended for first timers, otherwise they might have kicked me out or something. Now I know that I'm supposed to walk my bike to the white line and then I can get on and ride. :)

I entered the fat tire division, meaning that I rode a mountain bike with fat tires rather than a road bike with skinny tires. It's funny how many people thought I meant I was in some kind of heavy weight division when I told them I entered the fat tire division. One of my friends even thought I said "fat and tired" division. I got a good laugh out of that. Yep, I entered the fat and tired division, and I won too! Ha ha.

The option to enter a fat tire division was another main reason I chose this race. Road bikes are expensive, and I don't plan on buying one anytime soon. Mountain bikes are slower than road bikes, so that's why they have a separate division for them. I ended up riding Scott's mountain bike since mine has a baby seat attached to it. I had never ridden Scott's bike before that morning, and it was just barely too tall after we lowered the seat all the way, but it worked fine. I had a blast during the bike portion of the race! Riding bikes is one of my favorite things to do even though I don't do it very often.

I had never actually practiced biking and then running directly after, so towards the end of my bike ride I was wondering how that would feel. 

It felt a little weird, but the thing that felt the weirdest to me was not having my running watch on! I felt lost not knowing what pace I was going. I really had no idea if I was running a 10 minute mile, or a 7 minute mile (It ended up being a 7:30 pace). Since I had never run directly after swimming and biking, my pace sense was all thrown off. I think I would have pushed harder on the run if I had my watch, but it was also kind of nice not knowing what pace I was going. My Garmin has become a crutch. :)

Yet another embarrassing, but funny picture. Don't ask me what I was thinking, but I totally ran right past the finish line and everyone was yelling at me to go back. Maybe I was a little too hopped up on endorphines. That's me with my arms in the air realizing I had missed the finish line shoot. Ha ha. 

I turned around and made it back to the big giant sign that says FINISH. I was laughing as well as everyone else that was watching me. I was a little spastic the entire race. I was just so excited and having so much fun that I felt like a chicken running around with it's head cut off. 

(I'm blurry, so I like this picture!)

My time ended up being 1:01, although I have no idea what that really means yet (I was waiting in line to start my swim for about thirty minutes. That is why the clock in the background is 1:33). The distance of this tri was a 200 meter swim, 10 mile bike, and 2 mile run.  So it was just a little one, but perfect for seeing what a tri is like. My swim was 4:55, my bike was 38:05, and my run was 15:48, including my little detour. 

This is the last embarrassing picture of the post. I got a medal for finishing, and a medal for winning my division. 

Now that I've had a little taste of what a tri is like, I can't wait to do more, and longer ones too! I'm glad I finally took the plunge and gave it a try!

Race Recap: 25K Endurathon

Pre-race with a local running friend.

It turned out to be a B goal race day. No PR, but I did manage to stay under an 8:00 pace average. I knew by mile 2 that it wasn't going to be an A goal race day. Right about mile 2 was when my stomach started having issues (crampy, side-achey, etc.). I ran the rest of the race feeling pretty yucky. I kept thinking the stomach pain would go away after some deep breathing and a few more miles, but it stuck around all the way until I finished the race, and then into the next day. 

About Mile 9 is where I saw Scott and B. It was really nice to see them. I'm so grateful for a husband who supports my racing and running addiction! It means a lot to me. When I saw them, I stopped for a minute to take off my jacket and whined to Scott that I wasn't feeling good. He just smiled and said, "Keep going!" So I did. That little bit of encouragement from my hubby was all I needed to keep me from walking for the next little while.

At mile 11 I learned not to try and take a sip of water while running downhill because it will go straight up your nose. You would think I would have the hydration thing down by now considering how many races I've run, but I'm still working on it. It wasn't until about mile 14, my last drink, that I finally remembered to pinch my cup to make it easier to drink while running. 

I had to mentally fight the urge to stop and walk almost the whole race. I kept telling myself that it would be over faster if I just kept running. 

At about mile 14.5, I finally lost that little mental battle and stopped to walk. I know, so close to the finish. I was disappointed in myself, but luckily the walk only lasted for about 30 seconds because just as I stopped to walk, two guys ran up behind me and encouraged me to keep going. I thought that was so nice of them! That little bit of encouragement was all I needed to keep going. 

With less than a mile to go, I looked down at my watch and saw that my time was in the high 1:50's. I thought, "Hmmm, that would be nice to finish under two hours, but it's not going to happen today." I had absolutely no kick at the end. I crossed the finish line knowing that I had given it my best and toughed it out, so I was just fine with my time of 2:01. I was actually surprised it wasn't a lot slower considering how bad I wanted to quit.

It was a small race and I ended up getting first in my age group. We didn't stay for the awards though because all I wanted to do was go home and sleep. I got sick right after the race, and I'm still feeling pretty miserable. 

Also, it was my first race with my Garmin! It was much easier than watching for mile markers and recording all the laps myself. I also liked being able to look down and see what pace I was going whenever I wanted to. I also loved not having to constantly try to do math in my head! Running brain and math don't go well together. My running buddies and I have realized that after many sorry attempts at math during our track intervals.

Here's my splits from the race.

Well, I'm off to take a nap.

Tapering, Protein Shakes, and Running Books

Those are the three things I'm loving this week. 

1. Tapering. I know I whined and complained about it in this post, but I ended up really enjoying it! It was really nice to take a guilt-free break from getting really sweaty everyday. I even did my make-up on of the days when I took B to an art playgroup. :) 

Here he is with all his masterpieces. I love how colorful our fridge is right now. 

I'm feeling recovered and excited for my race tomorrow, although it looks like it's going to be COLD and WINDY. I'm hoping the wind will be to my back, but I probably won't get that lucky. 25K is kind of a weird distance to set a time goal for, so I'm not exactly sure what my goals are. I ran this race last year (<--my blog post about it), so it would be awesome to get a PR, but we'll find out tomorrow if that's realistic or not. (I just looked up my time from last year and it was 1:54 (7:20 mile average.) So, A PR from last year will be my I feel great and everything went perfect goal. My next goal will be to finish under 8:00 minute/mile average, and my I feel awful and everything went wrong goal will be to finish feeling like I got a good workout in. :) Whatever happens, It'll be a good day because I have a $10 fro yo giftcard that I'm planning to use post-race. :) 

2. Protein Shakes. After I read this advice in Kara Goucher's book (It's towards the bottom of the post), I got a few protein samples and then ended up buying my first container of whey protein a few days later. 

I really have noticed a difference in how I feel. Why did I wait so long to start drinking recovery shakes? After I did my whopping workout of 2 miles this morning, I came home and made myself a super hearty and delicious protein shake so I could make sure my legs will be nice and recovered tomorrow morning. 

Here's the recipe for today's shake:

1 C. Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder

1/2 Frozen Banana

1 T. Peanut Butter

1 tsp. Chia Seeds

2 T. Oats

It was so good! Go try it. 

3. Reading Running Books. I went from not reading at all last year to having too many books I want to read this year. I made a New Year's Resolution to read one book a month, but I think it's going to turn into a lot more than that. I finished Kara Goucher's Running For Women in about a week, and now I'm reading two books at once. My avid reader sister will be proud. :) (<--Check out her reading blog if you like to read.) 

I've been taking B to Library time once a week for the past year and a half, and I always come home with a stack of books for him, but I never picked any up for me. I used the excuse that it was too hard to look for my books when he was running around the library like crazy, but now I just get online and figure out what book I want before I get there. Then I can reserve them and pick them up. Technology is great. I definitely recommend these two books! Mile Markers is a short, easy, light read, and Running on Empty has me in suspense about what's going to happen next. Who knew a running book could be suspenseful? 

What's something you're loving this week? 

Rest Builds Strength

It's taper time again. I really hate taper week. I have to mentally gear myself up for taper week more than I have to mentally gear myself up for a hard workout or a long run. It didn't used to be like that at all. I remember when I first started distance running I would mentally gear myself up all week for my long run on Saturday. Now I just plain look forward to my long runs every Saturday. 

My love for running has definitely grown over years of consistently getting out the door on the days I didn't feel like going and then coming home feeling a million times better. A week or so ago I came home from one of my long runs and said to Scott, "You know how they say you fall more and more in love with your spouse the longer you're married? Well, I think the same is true with running. I think you fall more and more in love with running the longer you run." Scott just paused for a second and then said, "So I have competition?" I got a good laugh out of that response. I tried to tell him they were in totally different leagues and that he doesn't even have to worry, but I'm not so sure he believed me. I think he responded with something like a sarcastic, "Sure." 

Anyway, I briefly mentioned that I had signed up for a 25K (15.6 miles) this Saturday, so this week is taper week and I'm reminding myself that rest builds strength. I read that in this article on Runnersworld.com this morning. I also read that my last long run should have been 3 weeks before my race day. Oops. Too late for that.  My "short" run this past Saturday turned into 13.1 miles because it was too gorgeous outside and I was enjoying myself too much to stop at 8. 

I'm writing my taper plan for this week down again because last time I did that I actually stuck to it, and then I even got a half marathon PR. 

Here it is:

Monday: 10-20 min. warm-up. 6X400 @ 1:30 (400m Rest). 10 min. cool down.

Tuesday: Pilates.

Wednesday: 3 mile run: 1 mile easy, 2 miles @ 7:40/mile.

Thursday: Rest.

Friday: Rest or 2 miles on treadmill plus 8-10 strides.

Saturday: Race day.

I already did today's workout and it felt great even though I had to settle for the treadmill instead of the track. I took B to music class this morning, and then we went to our apartment gym afterwards. We brought some of his new birthday toys and some snacks and he did really well entertaining himself. He also did a good job telling me when he needed to use the potty unlike last time I took him to the gym. We made two quick bathroom breaks for B during my workout. One right before I started the intervals, and one right after I finished, so he even timed his bathroom breaks well! Actually, that was just a happy coincidence. 

It's weird to think I won't even get sweaty for tomorrow's workout. I even straightened my hair today in anticipation of that. Yep, I plan my hair-do's around my workout schedule. :) 

Do you determine how much you get ready and how you do your hair based on your workout schedule, or is it just me?

Running Motivation! (Pictures From the Houston 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials)

If looking at these pictures doesn't motivate you to want to get out the door and run, I don't know what will. I think I'll come back to this post and stare at these awe-inspiring pictures anytime I'm lacking motivation to go running. Isn't my husband an amazing photographer? I'm in love with all these pictures.

Enjoy!!

Here's the start of the women's race before any lead packs were formed. Can you pick out your favorite runners? I was so excited to see Kara Goucher, Shalane Flanagan, Desiree Davila, and Blake Russell, but the first time they ran by I only saw Blake Russell because the others were hiding in the back. I completely expected them to be front and center. They were just using smart racing tactics though. :)

 

Janet has a cool story. You can read it here. 

Look at Kara's leg muscles! Wow.

Team USA!!! They finished in this order. 

Look, now I can say I'm in a picture with Kara Goucher, Shalane Flanagan, Desiree Davila, Deena Kastor, and Amy Hastings! Pretty cool huh? 

I was on cloud 9 the whole race. It was so freaking fun to watch. My husband even loved watching it and he's not a runner. 

Those are some serious leg muscles. 

Ryan Hall and Josh Cox were the only guy runners I knew, so here's one more picture of each of them.

So, tell me, did these pictures make you want to go running? 

Sneak Peek: Pictures From Houston 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials

We had a blast watching the crazy fast elite runners in Houston this past weekend for the Olympic Marathon Trials!! My awesome husband took some amazing pictures of the runners while we were there. I'm still in awe every time I look at them. I can't believe we were really that close to all those famous runners that I've seen hundreds of times in my running magazines. It's hard to believe these pictures were taken from our very own camera! 

The best part of watching the race was that they ran a loop course so we got to see both the men and the women run by at least 8 times each. It was AMAZING. 

Here's a little sneak peak of some of my favorite pictures from the race. I promise there's A LOT more, but it's been a busy weekend, and now I'm off to watch 24 with my hubby. 

Ryan Hall. 2nd Place. Time: 2:09:30

Josh Cox. 14th Place. Time: 2:13:50. Remember when I met him? Here's some great running advice from him too. 

The top four women: Shalane Flanagan (2:25:38), Desiree Davila (2:25:55), Kara Goucher (2:26:06), and Amy Hastings (2:27:17). 

I'll be back soon with more pictures and updates from the weekend!!

Race Recap: My First 10 Miler

I had a feeling I was going to like the 10 mile distance. It's long enough to make it an endurance challenge, and short enough for a little bit of speed challenge as well. Since it was the first time I had ever raced a 10 miler, I wasn't sure what my time goal should be. The last race I had run was my half marathon at the end of October, and based on that time, I thought running under 70 minutes for the 10 miler would be an ideal time. Shooting for under 70 would be a little ambitious for me since I had only done 1 speed workout since my half marathon, but I told myself that if I didn't run under 70, at least I would get an awesome workout trying! 

Race morning breakfast was my usual breakfast these days. Plain rice cake with almond butter, honey, and a banana. I also ate 3 shot bloks before the race started. 

After packet pick-up, me and two of my running buddies went for a 1 mile warm-up run. It was a chilly morning, around 45 degrees, and perfect running conditions! I wanted to run with my buddy Ashley, but was really nervous I would go out too fast and die at the end if I tried to stay with her. I decided to take my chances and start with her anyway. 

I ran with Ashley for about 2 or 3 miles, and then she took a 50-100 meter lead the rest of the way. Ashley kept her lead as first place girl all the way to the end of the race! She finished in 67 minutes. Lucky for me, I get to train with this speedy girl. 

I was in second until just before the half-way point where I got passed and became the third female. I ate a vanilla gu around mile 5 and was able to pick up my pace from about a 7:10/mile to a 6:50/mile. Even though I had picked up my pace, I still got passed by another girl and slipped into fourth place around mile 8. I stayed in fourth place until the hills hit around mile 9. I knew if I was going to pass the third place girl, the hills at the end would be  my chance. I had run this course many times before, so it was to my advantage that I was expecting the hills and knew exactly how long they were. I have no idea if the other girl  knew the course, but I sure was grateful that I did. About 1/2 mile before the end of the race I was able to take third place again. Yay for all those hilly runs around my house with a 50 pound jogging stroller! 

I was very happy to finish with negative splits, and under 70 minutes like I hoped with a time of 68:51. 

Ashley and I were bummed they didn't do overall awards, just age group awards, but we both got 1st in our age since we're in different age groups, and my other running buddy got third in her age. I love my Texas running buddies! I remember being worried about moving to a new State and having to meet all new running buddies. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. I have some awesome running buddies here. We're all so different in personalities and stages of life, yet we get along perfectly bright and early every Saturday morning on our long runs. That's what I love about the running buddy bond. 

My little running buddy deserves the medal. He's been a trooper his whole life letting me drag him along on my runs and workouts. Not to mention freezing his little hands off that morning while waiting for me to finish and cheer me on. He was pretty excited when I gave him the medal.

He even ran up to these cops to show it off. It was pretty funny. 

What's your favorite weather to race in?

Around 50 degrees and overcast like it was for this race. 

What's your favorite pre-race breakfast? 

Do you run with buddies or by yourself for long runs? 

I don't know what I would do without long-run buddies.