18 Random Running Facts About Me

Janae at the Hungry Runner Girl posted a series of interesting questions that really got me thinking. I love her and everything on her blog (including the adorable Ms. Brooke!) so I figured I'd take a stab at these thought provoking running questions.

1. Would you rather run along a beach path or on a mountain trail?

      Beach is more beautiful but mountain would be less hot? Still gonna say beach

2. If you could choose the flavor of gatorade at your next race’s aid stations, what would it be?

       Fruit punch. I loathe lemon lime, yuck!

3. If I gave you a $100 gift card to a running store, what would be the first thing that you would purchase with it?

      New shoes! I'm about 10 miles away from my cutoff mark so I'm in need of new kicks

4. Do you prefer to follow a training plan or wake up and decide then how far and how fast you want to run?

      I don't do well unstructured so I need a plan. I've never had a plan but not an end race. I think that's what I'll be doing after Muncie

5. Would you rather start your run with the uphill and end on the downhill or start your run with the downhill and end with the uphill?

     Start uphill and end downhill for sure. I love negative splitting! (I also hate knowing "the worst" is yet to come)

6. When you can’t run, what type of cross-training do you choose to do?

     Triathlon has really gotten my in to cycling. I'd done spin class before, but I've really fallen in love with my bike

7. What is your preference—> Out and back, point to point or loop runs?

   Point to point, if only because I feel like I never get to run point to point! HATE out and backs. Bo-ring

8. If you could recommend ANY running related item to a new runner, it would be a—>

    Body glide. Use it early and often! Next would probably be a foam roller

9. Do you ever see any wild animals while out on your runs?

    Nope. Horses sometimes

10. Ever gotten lost while out on a run?

    Yep. Thank god for GPS

11. If you could have one meal waiting and ready for you each time you got home from a run for the next 30 days… what would that meal be?

   Egg sandwich and diet coke with a side of watermelon. Mmm. 

12. Capris or shorts… what do you run in most often?

  Since its summer mostly shorts. Love capris for long not-super-hot-runs

13. At what mile (or how many minutes) into your run does your body start to feel like it is warming up and ready to go?

    Each and every time I feel like a whole new person after the first mile. It's amazing

14. What do you do with your key when you run?

    Used to tie it in my shoelaces but now I have bungee laces. I always wear shorts with a pocket. I HATE holding keys while I run

15. If you could relive any race that you have done in the past, which one what it be?

     My first marathon, the 2008 Flying Pig. Or the 2011 Chicago half marathon. The race was on 9/11 and the atmosphere was electric. 

16. What type of run is your least favorite type of run?

      Tempo. I prefer straight up speed if I have to go hard

17. What has been your biggest motivation lately to get out the door to get your run on?

     MUNCIE!! 

18. When you go for a run, do you leave right from your front door or do you drive somewhere to start?

    Totally depends. I like to mix it up, I hate running the same route too much. I'm super spoiled with two big parks right next store. 

19. When running in daylight—> are sunglasses a must or an annoyance?

    Must. I couldn't run without sunnies. I usually do sunnies and a visor just to be sure. Maybe it's just habit more than necessity. 

Pick a question and answer in the comments!

Week 14 Recap

14 down, 2 to go. How is it that the last 14 weeks have gone by so slowly and yet so quickly? I sure don't know.

44 miles seems like so few! 

One swim & 10 minutes of biking away from perfection

I keep thinking, "What will I do with all of my free time once Muncie is over?" and the reality is that I don't feel overtrained. At least, not in that respect. I don't feel like I've had to sacrifice time and all that to get the training in. I take my Mondays and Fridays and I keep them sacred for the recovery gods. The two-a-days are getting a little old, but all in all I kinda like it. Probably won't be going for 11 mile runs on Sundays after Muncie though. Nope, probably not.

Best Workout of the Week
This is a tough one just because there wasn't anything super memorable. I felt pretty good Monday after Sunday's 50 miler but Tuesday I was a little sore. Tuesday morning's run was a little tough to say the least. Worse was Tuesday's swim. I definitely regretted blanking on my swims the last 2 weeks. My "easy" brick Wednesday was really nice. I kept up some decent paces and felt great on the run. That Wednesday-Thursday combo has been really hard because Thursday's volleyball gets in the way of doubles on Thursdays. I've been doing my 45 min cycle on Wednesday and the shorter recovery ride Thursday but....that's not what my plan says and I think i'm seeing why. Live and learn, right?

Best Meal of the Week
I'm still super hyped on eggs. Egg sandwiches with mexican cheese on english muffins. Omg. Perfection. I had one for dinner Tuesday night and one for lunch today. They're so damn tasty. I think it's the salt that I'm craving (since I salt the shit out of my eggs so they taste less like, well, eggs!). But I'm proud of myself for getting in more protein, if nothing else. My love of sweets continues. It's my downfall.

This week begins a three or four week stint for me of 4 day work weeks. It cannot come at any better time. Work has been super hectic lately, in a couple of different ways. My work is so strange because it is a constant onslaught of stuff to do. It never stops. You get two things done and 2 more are waiting and 5 more get added. That's the nature of it. But then there's the emotional/psychological stuff. It takes the right balance of disconnection and empathy, compassion and coldness to get out alive. I lacked that balance significantly the last two weeks. It's just so funny that the things that make people good social workers, good public defenders, are what makes them weak and vulnerable to the casualties of compassion. It's so much easier being a heartless sonofabitch!

Hopefully this week - and the promise of a 4 day weekend! - brings a new adventure.

Happy Running!

How do you deal with the work/life balance? 
Eggs - yes or no? How do you cook them? Teach me!

Week 13 Recap - Begin the Taper

Quicker (than normal) recap tonight since we're gearing up for the big premier of the second season of True Detective. Not sure it can be better than the first but we'll give it a whirl

Big fat ZERO for swim this week. I'm hoping to get both of them in this week. Getting to the pool lately has been really tough and my swim fitness is high enough I haven't really felt the need. That's gotta change though if I'm going to toe the line in Muncie.

Best Workout of the Week
Without a doubt, the 50 miler. I originally planned to do the 45 mile ride that I was on when my spoke broke a couple weeks ago. However, Tropical Storm Bill in all it's glory didn't really seem to cooperate Saturday. The Bike Club had a Century/50 miler on Sunday though that seemed like a good fit. It was titled, "A Good First Century" so I figured the 50 miler had to be fairly easy too. My buddy Jon, from the alternate hill sessions, was going to I knew I wouldn't be alone. It was a great ride! Maybe a little slower in parts than I would've liked but i'm glad we took it so easy. I drank easily (almost two bottles) and ate a bonk breaker in several different sessions. I'm so proud of myself for how far I've come on the bike!

Next up: TRUE taper. 3 weeks to Muncie!

Happy Running!
What was your best workout this week?
Taper: Love it or hate it?

Week 12 Recap: Better Late than Never

There's nothing wrong with getting to a weekly recap on Wednesday, right? Right! Week 12 was the last week of Peak Training and it was highlighted by my second Olympic Tri. Lets take a look.

Obviously, I didn't get in as much as I planned but that was only because of the race. My legs were pretty trashed from Tuesdays hill sessions so I opted out of any Saturday workout. I think it paid off though because I had a great race!

Best Workout of the Week
Obviously, Race the Bridge! It was a great race for me and gave me some much needed confidence on the bike and run. But since there'll be a whole recap on that race, I"ll pick something else. I went to a group Hill workout on Tuesday that was a lot of fun. It was runners from the Landsharks and other local groups. We tackled a pretty big hill in Cherokee park. We did a warm up together and then either 6 or 8 repeats up the .25mi hill with easy recovery back down.

Average pace during hill repeats: 11:10. Well I'll be damned. So fast! I'm really proud of myself because I really had to dig in and push it up those hills.

Best Meal of the Week
Definitely the Qdoba quesadilla and nachos I had after the race Sunday. Other than that I've been really in to eggs this week. I've been frying them and putting them on toast. I'm really trying to focus on getting more protein in my diet so Eggs seemed the right way to go.

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful (in a good way). This week I've been at a work conference so Im more behind than usual with my blogging. Hopefully I'll have my recap up before the end of the week. Got a good run in on Tuesday and a good ride today so I'm not letting the conference get me off my game. We're officially in the taper phase. 4 weeks till Muncie!

Hills hurt

Post-Race Pool time!

New Bed for the Ellie dog

Happy Running!

What's your favorite post-race meal? 
Do you like eggs? I'm trying. Still hate avocado. 

Week 11 Recap - Hill Climbs & Bike Trouble

Didn't quite get everything in I'd hoped this week, but I made some big strides in key areas. Lets check it out.

62 miles seems like a lot

So even with my cross training minutes I was way under my target. I got 2:00hrs/26 miles into my 3:15/45 mile bike ride on Saturday and had mechanical issues. Had to have Hubz come get me. Boo. I'm confident I would've finished the ride, but who knows maybe it was for the best. Legs were still really tired for today's easy run. Now lets just keep fingers crossed that Ghost is back up and running in time for Race the Bridge this weekend!

Waiting for Hubz to come pick us up

Best Workout of the Week
The triathlon club does a hill session on Wednesday nights. When they started posting them I emailed the ride captain because it seemed pretty intimidating. He told me I should maybe work on some smaller climbs before tackling these. Wednesday there was an 'alternate' route that tackled some of the 'moderate' hills. There were three of us and I had a blast! I was super anxious, not knowing anything about the route or the hills, but they made sure not to drop me and I hauled some ass. We met up with the non-alternate (read: badass) riders and then headed back to our car. I'm glad we got done when we did because the sun was setting, but I had a blast!

On top of Spikert Knob

Trying to show how high we were

Favorite Meal of the Week
Ok so I'm cheating a little bit. Friday night I went to one of those paint & sip things with my mom. Since we'd be gone all night (and drinking) I got the Hummus Trio from Zoe's kitchen and ate all of it. It was SO good! Loved the three different types of hummus (particularly the pesto) and the chips. Also loved having so much fun with my mom. I got her the gift certificate for her birthday and hoped she'd picked me. We both better keep our day jobs, but I think our masterpieces turned out great!

Everybody keep your fingers crossed for Ghost this week. The wheel guy is in the shop tomorrow so I should know something then. Also, I'm hoping to do an open water swim in the Ohio river tomorrow so definitely hoping the projected thunder storms hold off!

Happy Running!

Have you ever had bike mechanical issues? How bad?
Do you love my painting? How much would you pay for it? 

Your Strongest Muscle - 5 Tips for Mental Toughness

My body got me through my first half Marathon. My brain got me through my 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th.

The same goes for the marathon. I got to the finish line on the first one because I trained my legs, lungs, muscles, and bones to run that far. My second one I trained my brain to know I could run that far.

The more I train the more mental running and triathlon are for me. This is particularly true as I tackle the bike because I can't listen to music. I have to rely one hundred percent on my brain to not only occupy the free time but to avoid negativity setting in. So how do you train your brain?

1. Visualizations
I've been using these since I was swimming in AAU meets as a 12&Under. Essentially you run through your event in your head, executing everything perfectly. I find this particularly helpful for pre-race anxiety. If you're like me and have trouble sleeping before races, try closing your eyes and running your race in your head. What will the start line feel like? The first mile? The first water stop? Feel yourself taking each perfect step, enjoying every moment. I did this the night before TriFest and I really think it helped me during the race. It felt like I'd already done it!

It can also help you during the race if you start feeling the negative vibes attacking. During the 2012 DerbyFest Marathon I hit the wall big time at mile 20. I started imagining myself not at mile 20 but at mile 25.5, taking effortless strides along the finish chute, seeing my dad, my mom and Hubz waiting for me. It helped take me out of the bad moment I was in and put me in a good one.

2. Have a Mantra
This is a big one for me. One of my biggest challenges in this training cycle has been negative vibes/words on the bike. I can't help but think, "what happens if I fall?" etc. I can't just have empty headspace, so I have to fill it with something. During TriFest I just kept repeating, "Head down and pedal," and "up, Up, UP" on the hills. It doesn't have to be catchy and it doesn't have to make sense to anyone but you. For some people it's the name of the person they're racing for, or a song lyric.

My mantra for Muncie: How do you eat an elephant?

3. Inspiration Wall/Space
Sometimes the mental hurdle isn't during the workout, it's just getting to the workout. Set aside some space for yourself to post inspirational quotes, pictures, or images that will motivate you. I put mine in my closet. Ads from Runnersworld and Triathlete Magazine, photos from past races. Whenever I get up in the morning I see them and it instantly makes me feel strong and ready for the workout. Back when I was getting in shape for the wedding I kept a picture of my wedding dress (with the beautiful, thin, elegant model in it) above my TV. I started that chick down while I did my insanity workouts. She stared back at me whenever I tried to sit on the couch eating ice cream. It worked. If you're training for a big race set aside some wall space or a shelf for your medal as a reminder of whats to come.

4. Carry a token
Running and training can be so emotional for me. I haven't quite figured out why, but there's a connection I feel with myself and my body that I only get running. In 2011 the Chicago Half Marathon was on September 11. The Hubz gave me his Combat Action Badge, a medal he earned during his service in the Army in Iraq, to carry with me. It was immensely helpful to know that he was there with me. More than that, anytime I had doubts or felt like I was slipping I could run my fingers over that badge. I knew that if he had the strength to go to war, I could finish the race. I plan to have it on my bike at Muncie. I've seen people run with pictures of themselves 100lbs/etc. heavier in their spi belt. I've seen people write the names of those they're running for on their hands or arms. Sometimes we need something bigger than us to keep us going!

5. Breathing
If you can't get your mind together, then just ignore it entirely. Incorporating some of the breath work from yoga into my running has been hands down the biggest improvement in my running. In a recent article for Runnersworld, Coach Jenny Hadfield tells us that breath is "both a release valve and a trigger for your nervous system." So basically when you breathe like a panting dog, you send your body into panic mode. Conversely, "when you breathe in through your nose, deeply into your belly, and out through your mouth, this has a calming effect on the body and mind." She's right. During periods of stress or pain if I take a second to just focus on slowing down my breathing I feel worlds better. It's shown in my heart rate training too. Focus on breathing when heart rate gets too high has helped me to calm, slow, and get back into the zone.

So there you have it, Five things I've found helpful to get my sometimes ill-trained, under achieving self to the finish line. These aren't any substitute for actual training, of course, but hopefully they can help improve your training. After all, you have to practice how you race. So start practicing them during your daily routines. Above all, don't let your strongest muscle go untrained!

Happy Running!

How do you stay mentally tough? Any other tips to share?


*Also I'm aware the brain isn't an actual muscle. Writers license, geez!

Tri Talk Tuesday - Transitions

Today I'm linking back up with Courtney at The Tri Girl Chronicles, Phaedra at Blisters and Black Toenails and Cynthia at You Signed Up For What?!for Tri Talk Tuesday. This month's topic? The transition!

Transition can be like a black hole for me. If you don't have a game plan going in, you can lose a lot of time. Now maybe over an iron distance race a few extra minutes on your transition don't really matter, but they definitely do on a sprint! So how do you nail your transitions?

PLAN
Like the rest of your race you should have a strategy for your transition. Don't just lay everything out willy-nilly and waltz through T1. One of the best pieces of advice I've taken from Don Fink's "Be Iron Fit" (which you really should read) is the Top Down/Bottom Up method. When you go through transition take everything off from the top down, then put everything on from the bottom up. I literally say it outlaid in transition as I'm rushing.

T1: Goggles off, Cap Off, wet suit off (if no stripper), bike shoes on, nutrition in belt/pockets, sunglasses on, helmet on --> GO!
T2: Helmet off, shoes off, socks on, shoes on, race belt on, visor on --> GO!

You should also have a good checklist of what you need for the transition area. I lay mine out before the race in our spare bedroom. I have a list for 1) Before the race 2)  Race Nutrition/Hydration 3)Swim 4) Bike 5) Run 6) Post Race. The night before I lay it all out by category, then carefully pack it in my Transition bag.

From before Tri Fest

On race day, I tend to lay out my transition area with bike in the front and the run in the back. Extra nutrition and sunscreen go in the middle. I've also done it with the bike on the left and the run on the right, since my transition area was a little cramped once. It really just depends on your own mojo.

Whatever your strategy, come up with set it up, stick to it and...

PRACTICE
Transitions, like running, swimming, and biking, are an event in the race and should be practiced just like the other three disciplines. My training plan has several workouts that require a transition-type setting. The practice of going from one discipline to another isn't just good for your body -  it's good for your brain. Put yourself through the rigors of a transition well in advance of race day. How do you practice for transitions? Early and often!


PATIENCE
I'm of the opinion that I'd rather do something once slowly than several times quickly. For me, If i take the time to breathe and focus in transition then I may lose a few seconds, but I gain a lot in confidence. For instance, in Shelbyville this spring I threw my socks on over wet feet with the sole goal of getting on the bike as fast as possible. No Bueno. I had to fiddle with them in T2, I had to stop on the run several times and fiddle with them. During Tri Fest I decided to lose some time and actually sit down and take the time to put my socks on. Loads better. I'm also picky about my hair. I hate my hair bouncing around crazy. I hate flyaway in my face. So I take a few extra minutes to fix my braids/bun/ponytail but spend the bike/run happier.

Whatever your set up for the transition, if you plan, practice, and have patience with it it will enhance your overall race experience.

I am really enjoying the link ups and reading all of your blogs! Thanks for your comments last month - it is so nice to know people are actually reading :)

Happy Tri-ing!

Transitions: Love 'em or hate 'em? Any tricks you can share?

Week 10 Recap - Longest run done

This week's training seemed to drop off a little bit with a lighter bike, but definitely picked back up for the long run. Longest run in the last month of 10 miles is officially done. Lets reminisce about my 2nd week of peak training.

It feels weird to say, "Only 56 miles?"

Planned & Actual = almost dead on!

Best Workout of the Week
Probably my LBC ride on Saturday. Duh. I went back out for my third straight week of the Louisville Bike Club's Iroquois Special. Since training only called for an hour this week I chose the "short" ride of 21 miles. It's never 21 miles though. It was a HUGE group since the weather was in the 80s and sunny.

So that was kind of intimidating. I put on my big girl pants and tried to get out with one of the middle packs. I did it! I hung in with the middle pack through main street and all of the lights. I stayed in my granny gear most of the ride but just sort of followed behind these two "older" (seriously though, it turns out they were in their late 60s) gents and just enjoyed the ride. I broke off with them and actually caught up behind two others on the way back downtown. I like riding behind people not for drafting purposes but just as sort of a forecast of what's to come. I like having people spot holes, cars, and lights for me. Call me leech if you will, but right now that's how I'm comfortable. I taped a waffle to my top tube in hopes of getting the nerve to eat it during the ride...nope. Still not good with that. i did, however, successfully remove an angry bee from my glasses after it got caught. A harrowing experience, yes.

No Newbie Chain marks!

It was also my first longer ride in my Coeur kit - which I loved! My phone stayed snug even through my run afterwards. I'm desperately trying to get rid of my ridiculous overbroad tan lines from my landshark kit. Oh well, badge of honor and all that.

Ignore the back fat, if you please

Best Meal of the Week
I didn't take a pic of anything this week so nothing must've been super appetizing. I honestly can't remember much of what we ate. I don't think I cooked. Whoops. I know we planned it out, I just forgot to actually pay attention. So note to self, be more intentional this week. Tonight I'm breaking out the old George Forman and grilling up some chicken breast and serving with these delicious Sesame Noodles from the Pioneer Woman. I die. I love them. AND they're really good cold the next day. Score!

Last two weeks of Peak Training! This week is the long bike and next week is the long run. Eek! After that it's all downhill. Actually, next week is my next race, Race the Bridge Louisville. Can't wait!

Happy Running!

Did you eat anything super impressive this week? Tell me
Do you have your husband take hilariously awkward pictures of you mid-working? Why not?

8+ hours of training - Week 9 Done

Hard to believe I'm done with the first week of peak training. Three more and then it's taper!! Lets see how it went

I'm pretty impressed with myself for the week. Actually I'm impressed with May in general. This week Josh was in Newport Beach which left me a single dog mom. It's hard to get in 8 hrs of training,  50+ hours of work and keep a beagle puppy. Luckily my mom pitched in on Beagle Duty and kept me from feeling super guilty about leaving her all the time. Thanks Mom!

Best Workout of the Week

This is a duo. My trainer ride on Thursday was awesome. I swam in the morning and anticipated riding outside before volleyball but the weather decided not to cooperate. So I popped on Homeland and hit the trainer. I stayed in a pretty heavy gear (for me) for most of the ride and did the required 5x1 min pick ups w/ 1 min spin after a warm up. it felt good! I sweated like crazy. I also cranked some serious speed. Obviously, I know it's easier to get the speed on the trainer than out on the road. I'm hoping that my weekend sessions on the road will build confidence/handling while my trainer sessions build the leg strength. 

Speed Racer!

Tan lines for the win

My other favorite workout has to be the 26 mile ride I did with the Louisville Bicycle Club. Last week I did my first ride with them, the Iroquois Special 21 miler. This week the weather was beautiful which meant there were a lot more people out. My friend and fellow Landshark Stef was there and I got to meet and chat with some other Landsharks too. Stef is relatively new to triathlon too so it's nice getting to chat with her and kind of learn things as we go. I was too scared to go out with the big main pack so I hung out in the back. Did this mean that I ended up going so so so slow the whole time? Yes. It was slow. I also skipped out on the hills through Iroquois Park. Sorry, not sorry. I met two lovely women who were also new to cycling and we chatted while we waited for the badasses/everyone else to come down. Afterwards I did a quick change and a 15 min run from the parking lot. My legs felt pretty fresh! 

To put it in perspective, this was my longest ride since TriFest. Pace wise I was identical (seriously) but it felt a lot easier. That's probably due to the elevation but I'm going to also say I'm getting stronger legs. 

Afterwards I celebrated with a Lemonade Icee and a trip to the bike store. Peter from V02 hooked me up with new cages - which I can hopefully reach and actually USE when riding - and elevated my hoods a little bit. I rode this morning and they felt better so fingers crossed I've solved the numb fingers problem. 

Love those sassy new bottle cages!

Best Meal of the Week

I dropped the ball on this one. Either that or I must've hated everything I ate this week. After Volleyball Wednesday I was starving and one of my favorite bars was "on the way home" so I stopped and got a salmon burger and crab fries. I paid for it Thursday but good lord it was delicious.  Today was my sister's wedding and I had BBQ and cake so that probably wins. Cake always wins, in my opinion. 

I've been on an Iced Coffee kick lately and Starbucks Via is the perfect way to get it. I drink this stuff on my way to my morning swims. Perfect little pick-me-up. 

I also discovered these at the grocery yesterday. Any time you can tell me that peanut butter cups are "healthy" i'm on board. Finally, a use of quinoa I can get behind. 

This week is another heavy training load. I'm excited though! Tomorrow is my rest day and we're hoping to go to the zoo. Our zoo is so hilly it'll be a "working" recovery but I'm excited. Fingers crossed the rain holds off!

Happy Running!

Do you ride/Run in a group? Tell me about it!

What are your favorite healthy/nothealthy snacks?

TriFest Olympic Race Recap

So it's been 10 days since I finished my first Olympic triathlon and I'm still riding high from the accomplishment. So before I lose all memory of the event - or do another race - I wanted to get some notes out. 

Tri Fest is a two day tri, aqua bike and duathlon put on by Headfirst Performance out at Taylorsville lake. I'd been told there was always a good turnout from the Landsharks & I thought an Olympic about 60 days out from Muncie would be a good test. Boy was I right. 

The sprint started at 8am and the Olympic at 11 so I set my alarm for 8. I think I ended up waking up around 630 out of pure excitement. I fixed half of a bagel and mixed up some powerade. They were calling for hot temps so I started hydrating early in the week. I made myself some hot tea after my bagel and watched tv. At about 8:30 I had the second half of my bagel and peanut butter. Woke Hubz up around 845 to go on the coffee run while I packed everything into the car. In a crazy twist we were actually out the door on time at 9 for the 45 min drive to Taylorsville Lake! 

The event took place out at a state park less than an hour from Louisville. Luckily is been out there for the OWS clinic the previous week and knew exactly where I was going. Hubz and I drank our coffee & enjoyed the ride. The late start made it so much more enjoyable getting there. 

As we pulled up the sprint was still finishing. Parking was plentiful and I tried to stay out of the way while getting everything together. My friend Emily was there cheering on fellow Landshark Stef and it was really cool seeing her. we run together often so it was a little boost of confidence. Transition filled up quickly but I scored a (close to the) end spot and checked out the lake. 

Things were really heating up by 10:30, literally. The lake was 74 degrees - 8 degrees warmer than the week before! I got body marked, had a honey stinger waffle and took a ton of fluids. After a lot of back and forth I decided to wear my new Cat 1 wetsuit. The water was just cool enough & id never worn my suit so I thought, why not? 

Just a quick pre race briefing and the. It was time to swim! 

The Swim - 21:00 (by Hubz watch)

The swim was just about as perfect as can be. The wetsuit kept me floating through the short mele that was the mass start (though it wasn't nearly as bad as id expected). My strokes felt strong and I sighted perfectly. The only minor mishaps were that my cap, which was about 10 sizes too small, kept slipping off my head and pulling my goggles with it. Also, one of the bouy's moved to the left quite a bit and threw off everybody's line. Minor things, really. I was out of the water before I knew it. Hubz wasn't even ready for me! 

T1 - 30:17

I don't really remember much about T1 so it must've been pretty standard. There's a hill for the boat ramp up to the transition area which was a real bitch. I was going to bypass the wetsuit strippers but the lady damn near pushed me down. I'm excited that I beat the other two girls in my age group out of T1 by 3 minutes!! Huge accomplishment for me. I got my socks and shoes on and was ready to ride! 

The Bike - 1:57:44

I knew going in that the bike was challenging. Considering my novice status and my spectacular fail on the sprint course the previous week I really had one mission: survive, stay upright. There is a MONSTER hill comin out of transition that sucks hope and optimism right out of you. After that it's basically a rolling course 12.4 miles out, then a little bit easier on the way back. I kept a good clip going out, allowing myself to rest a little on the downhills. I shifted well and kept a really good cadence! I stopped at the turnaround and took some chomps and had some fluids. Since I was treating it as a training ride I let myself just hang out and do what I do on training rides. I stopped again at 20 miles and had another chomp and fluids. I rolled back into transition and saw Jessie, a fellow Landshark, and Josh waiting for me. I was elated I'd made it. A good number of people were hanging out after the sprint, cheering and volunteering. As I zoomed in to dismount I shouted, "I didn't die!!!"  I survived the bike and I couldn't have been happier. 

T2 - 2:10

I got off the bike and would've been happy just to get a diet coke and a beach towel. It was starting to get hot and i had no interest in running. Josh met me and helped me spray down in sunscreen. I got a high five and off I ent on the run. 

The Run - 1:31:33

This picture doesn't capture this hill at all. It feels straight up and endless. I can't lie, I felt defeated. By the time I took off on the run it was 1:40ish and the heat was blazing. There was absolutely no shade to be found. I had my handheld with me and it saved me a million times on the run. I stopped at the top of the hill and seriously contemplated walking back down. If nailed the swim and survived the run; what did I have to prove? I knew I could do a 10k so who cared if I did this one? I did. I choked back tears (honestly not wanting to spare the water or salt) and kept walking. In my head I just kept saying "movemovemove" over and over. When I got to the first water stop I felt like I was cooked. I asked one of the volunteers, "is there a course time limit?" She looked at me with such empathy and shook her head. "So I can walk this whole thing if I wanted to?" I asked. "Do whatever you want, we'll be right here," she replied. And that was that. I had permission to walk, to be kind to myself. To surrender to the race and just gut it out. So I did. I walked most of it and just made myself run a little bit each mile. I continuously drank water and dumped water over me. I took chomps at miles 3 and 5. All in all it was less than 10k and I do not care one little bit. When I ran down that monster hill I saw Hubz smiling up and me and cheering me on. I was home free and I finished. 

All in all I give Tri Fest an A+. The only thing I would change would be the weather and hell, that's a toss up here in May. Muncie will likely be the same if not hotter and by then I will have had 3 months to get acclimated to the heat instead of 7 days. 

So now, for the first time since the Flying Pig, I feel like I've really accomplished something. I signed up for another Olympic in June as a final tune up before Muncie. I have a long way still to go, but I am having a blast getting there. 

Finish Time - 4:01:45