Tuesday evening started off as a typical cycling class. The weather had called for a chance of thunderstorms all day, but the day turned out to be beautiful. I pulled into the parking lot excited for another challenging session.
Before class started, I got to talking with a few of the other ladies in the group. It turns out that 2 of them are also doing the Rock Hall triathlon! YAY! I'm so excited that there will be friendly faces along the way! Also, I am meeting up with a bunch of Mid MD Triathlon Club members before the race. That will be cool to meet new people from my area.
John decided that we were going to do more of a road ride for the class. The plan was to go into Patapsco State park, go up Lawyer's Hill (gulp), keep going to Montgomery Rd, turn right onto some other road, make some more turns, then eventually come in the back of the park and ride along the river. Can you tell I wasn't paying much attention to the route? After the Lawyer's Hill comment, I kind of tuned out. I figured I'd be at the back of the pack anyway so I would just follow everyone else.
I contemplated whether or not to bring my phone. In the end, I always think of when Heather fell and needed help and didn't have her phone...so I decided to err on the side of safety and bring the phone.
The beginning of the ride was uneventful. We easily crossed Rt 1 at the light and began the ride into the Park. At Lawyer's Hill, I decided just to put my head down and do the best that I could. I was riding with Amy, Heidi and Debbie at that point...all of them are stronger climbers than I am so I figured that they would leave me in their dust. Surprisingly, halfway up Lawyer's Hill where it flattens out a bit, I realized that I was only a little bit behind them. Confidence booster!!! I was definitely struggling but it was clear to me that I had improved since the first time we did hill repeats there.
We re-grouped at the traffic light right before Montgomery Rd. Montgomery Rd is a very busy road. We were only going to be on it for less than a half mile, but it can be treacherous with the speeds that the traffic goes and the fact that there is such a large group of us. So John made sure that we stayed all the way to the right and quickly made our turn off Montgomery Rd.
The middle of the ride consisted of a few more challenging climbs. At one point I was behind 2 riders who are definitely slower than me. For awhile I rode behind them patiently, but when we got to the hard part of the hill, I simply couldn't stay behind them any longer. I checked behind me...no traffic...and made my pass. Shockingly, with that burst of power, the rest of the climb seemed almost easy. I just maintained that level of energy for the rest of the hill and I got up it pretty easily!
The farther we got into our ride, the more frequent we could hear the thunder in the distance. On a re-group at the top of a hill, John said that the rest of the ride is downhill and we need to go quickly since it appears that the storm is catching up to us. So we took off. It was pretty steep downhills and my speed got up over 30 MPH. That's where I get nervous on the steep downhills. I just tried to focus on staying steady and remembering that I was in control.
We had one final re-group just before entering the back side of the Park. The infamous Ilchester hill was to our backs...that hill looks like a mountain. I'm not looking forward to the day we tackle that one! (And I know it's coming soon because John is evil like that)
As we entered the park, the rain started. It was light for about 20 seconds, and then the sky opened up and it was a monsoon. It was raining so hard that I couldn't see. Visibility was awful in general but my glasses kept fogging up and they were just covered with water. Phaedra was right in front of me, wearing a white Spin90 jersey. I kept my eyes on her jersey and prayed that there wasn't anything on the ground in the bike path.
This part of the ride looked like it could have been a beautiful ride. The bike path went along the Patapsco River. I could hear the river rushing by on my right hand side but I couldn't see it because of the downpour. It was also raining so hard that all I heard was water...the rain, the river...water was everywhere.
I thought of the last minute decision to bring my phone. Of course I didn't put it in a Ziploc like a smart cyclist would have. I mentallly added "Get a New Cell Phone" to my list of things to do the next day. With my phone in the saddle bag, I figured it was just sitting in a puddle of water.
We were about 4 miles from our cars when the rain started. I made sure to be close to the front of the pack so that I wasn't hampered by slower riders. We made a good team actually. It was very dangerous because of the lack of visibility. So yelling to each other became vital. We yelled things like "branch on the left", "runner on the right", "braking" because no one could see anything. John was leading the charge and I was comforted by the fact that we had several instructors strewn through the line of riders in case anyone had a problem.
John stopped us at a point where we could shelter under a bridge. He wanted to get the group gathered together and make sure that we had everyone. A park ranger drove by in a pickup and warned us that we shouldn't stay under the bridge long because it tends to get flash flooding and with this much rain, it would happen sooner rather than later. GREAT! We waited for a few minutes until everyone was there, then we took off again.
I took off my glasses before starting again. They were useless anyway so I figured that I would tough it out without them. The rain had slowed some by this time. It was still raining hard, but it was not an all out downpour. Visibility was much better and the need to yell at each other was diminished. But the mood was still pretty frantic to get back to the cars. As we exited the park and crossed back over Rt 1, the rain came to a stop.
So when we got back to the parking lot, we were completely soaked but the rain had stopped. Some people were smart (lucky) enough to have towels and/or changes of clothes in their car. I was neither smart nor lucky and had only some McDonald's napkins in my glove compartment. Priority #1 was to assess the phone situation. I pulled it out of my saddle bag and it only had a few drops of water on it. I couldn't believe it! It worked fine...and is still working! YAY!
I loaded up my bike and skipped the normal post-class chat session. I was cold, tired and just wanted to get in the shower. As I was driving home, I saw a gorgeous sunset...I had to laugh after the craziness of the ride in the rain. Well at least I can say that I've faced my fear of riding on wet roads! You can't get much wetter than that!!!
Read along with my blog as I discuss weight, schedule and life challenges as I try to get my triathlon training back on track. I will also discuss what I've learned along the way and what new goals I'm setting for myself.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Triathlon Preview
This weekend we were in Betterton and I took the opportunity to ride the bike course for the triathlon. As we drove into Rock Hall, we drove the run course, so that helped too. The run course is completely flat and seems to be shaded for a portion of the run.
The day was a windy day. I'm not sure of the wind speed but on the Eastern Shore, any wind can seriously impede progress on a bike. My speed on the bike was definitely impacted by the wind,
As I started out on the bike, my wireless computer was not picking up the sensor. I stopped a few times to try to fix it. Finally one last adjustment made the difference and the computer was working. As John has said several times, you can't let technology hold you back...but on that ride I really wanted my technology to work! So I took the time to fix it. In the race I probably would not have done that.
The bike course is mostly back roads. I was surprised at how rough the roads were in several places. The way that they fill potholes is to pour gravel in the pothole. As cars drive over it, the gravel gets packed in and evens out the road. However, the fresher gravel tends to be loose and for a novice biker like me, that can be dangerous. The road itself was bumpy in several spots. This could be a very interesting ride!
Last year I rode a portion of the bike course with Daryl and his friends from Cross Courts. So I knew that there was a hill on Earl Nicholson Rd. I was enjoying the rolling hills up to that point. There is just enough of a grade difference to make it interesting, but nothing was what I would call a challenging climb. But I kept thinking about that hill on Earl Nicholson.
I rounded the corner onto Earl Nicholson fully prepared to see a steep incline in front of me. Well, there was a hill but it wasn't a big hill...nor was it steep. How far I have come in my cycling! I flew up the hill on Earl Nicholson like it was nothing. I hope to do the same on race day. I had a huge smile on my face thinking about how hard I thought that hill was not even a year ago.
As I got out onto the busiest road, Route 20, I was hit in the face by the wind again. On the back roads, I was protected somewhat by the trees. But on Rt 20, there was no protection. Cars were whizzing past me and I'm struggling to keep my speed at 15 MPH. In the gusts, my speed dropped down to 10 MPH...on a flat road! I couldn't believe how much energy I was expending. This picture was taken on Rt 20 in the height of the headwind. So yes, I am working very hard and not going anywhere!!
Overall, I'm looking forward to the bike portion of the race. It was great to preview the course. I am just praying for no wind on race day!
The next morning I went for a swim. It was the same swim I had done a few weeks ago when we were in Betterton. I definitely took a lot more rest breaks that I should in the triathlon, but I felt good overall. Stephen was in the kayak and said that I looked stronger and was faster than a few weeks ago.
The swim is still my weakest part. I hope that I can finish the .9 miles in the race without too many problems. My swim sets up the whole race. It might take me awhile to finish, but if I do the swim well, my confidence will be boosted for the rest of the race.
The day was a windy day. I'm not sure of the wind speed but on the Eastern Shore, any wind can seriously impede progress on a bike. My speed on the bike was definitely impacted by the wind,
As I started out on the bike, my wireless computer was not picking up the sensor. I stopped a few times to try to fix it. Finally one last adjustment made the difference and the computer was working. As John has said several times, you can't let technology hold you back...but on that ride I really wanted my technology to work! So I took the time to fix it. In the race I probably would not have done that.
The bike course is mostly back roads. I was surprised at how rough the roads were in several places. The way that they fill potholes is to pour gravel in the pothole. As cars drive over it, the gravel gets packed in and evens out the road. However, the fresher gravel tends to be loose and for a novice biker like me, that can be dangerous. The road itself was bumpy in several spots. This could be a very interesting ride!
Last year I rode a portion of the bike course with Daryl and his friends from Cross Courts. So I knew that there was a hill on Earl Nicholson Rd. I was enjoying the rolling hills up to that point. There is just enough of a grade difference to make it interesting, but nothing was what I would call a challenging climb. But I kept thinking about that hill on Earl Nicholson.
I rounded the corner onto Earl Nicholson fully prepared to see a steep incline in front of me. Well, there was a hill but it wasn't a big hill...nor was it steep. How far I have come in my cycling! I flew up the hill on Earl Nicholson like it was nothing. I hope to do the same on race day. I had a huge smile on my face thinking about how hard I thought that hill was not even a year ago.
As I got out onto the busiest road, Route 20, I was hit in the face by the wind again. On the back roads, I was protected somewhat by the trees. But on Rt 20, there was no protection. Cars were whizzing past me and I'm struggling to keep my speed at 15 MPH. In the gusts, my speed dropped down to 10 MPH...on a flat road! I couldn't believe how much energy I was expending. This picture was taken on Rt 20 in the height of the headwind. So yes, I am working very hard and not going anywhere!!
The next morning I went for a swim. It was the same swim I had done a few weeks ago when we were in Betterton. I definitely took a lot more rest breaks that I should in the triathlon, but I felt good overall. Stephen was in the kayak and said that I looked stronger and was faster than a few weeks ago.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Running Group Dilemma
Wednesday night was track practice for the running group. It was hot and humid...the hottest day we've had so far this year. Abby was coming off of the Columbia Triathlon and I've been trying to ignore the pain in my knee for a few days...so we decided to take it very easy at track. We did over 3 miles at a run/walk pace. Perfect! My knee thanked me by not hurting the next day!
After track practice we went to the River Hill Grill and had our celebration dinner for the last session. Several people had gone right to the restaurant still dressed from work...so they looked and smelled much better than the rest of us!
I am struggling with what to do with the running group in the short term. I love my running group and want to still run with these amazing people. But money is tight right now so I'm evaluating everything I spend. I am going to be away a majority of the weekends in June and early July. I will definitely join when their fall training sessions start but I'm not sure I can justify the money for the "bridge" session right now. Although, having the track workouts on Wednesday nights is really important in keeping me focused on my training. But are Wednesdays enough to warrant the cost? I don't think so.
Ugh. I really wish I had won the lottery! I could quit my job and have plenty of time to train while the kids were at school! Ahhh...a girl can dream.
After track practice we went to the River Hill Grill and had our celebration dinner for the last session. Several people had gone right to the restaurant still dressed from work...so they looked and smelled much better than the rest of us!
I am struggling with what to do with the running group in the short term. I love my running group and want to still run with these amazing people. But money is tight right now so I'm evaluating everything I spend. I am going to be away a majority of the weekends in June and early July. I will definitely join when their fall training sessions start but I'm not sure I can justify the money for the "bridge" session right now. Although, having the track workouts on Wednesday nights is really important in keeping me focused on my training. But are Wednesdays enough to warrant the cost? I don't think so.
Ugh. I really wish I had won the lottery! I could quit my job and have plenty of time to train while the kids were at school! Ahhh...a girl can dream.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Time Trials
Last night at cycling class John decided we were going to have a Time Trial. Last week we rode 2 laps of the route so that we were all familiar with it. So last night was when we were going for time.
We rode up and back Race Rd for a warm up. It was a nice easy ride out and some bursts of power on the way back to get our legs ready to go hard.
So in 30 second intervals, one by one, we started. John decided the order and put the slower riders in the front and the faster riders in the back. He called my name towards the middle but then put a fast rider directly behind me. As I waited for my turn, my heart was pounding. I don't know why I was so nervous but I was.
I started and tried to get a good cadence going before hitting the hill. As I started the climb, a large pickup truck pulling a trailer came up behind me. Because the hill curves as it ascends, he was unable to pass me. Let me tell you how distracting it is to have this diesel truck chugging directly behind you as you struggle to get up a hill! I made it up the bottom half of the hill pretty well and hit a good cadence on the false flat area. It was at that point when the truck passed me and I was so happy.
I could see the rider in front of me so I kept looking up to gauge my distance from her. The top half of the hill was hard but I kept trying to power through it. I ran out of gears and just tried to keep going to the top. As I crested the hill, I shifted down and tried to make up the ground that I had lost on the rider in front of me.
I hit the circle at a good cadence and was feeling pretty confident about closing the gap between us. Unfortunately it was that moment when the fast rider who started behind me caught and passed me. She blew by like I was standing still. I just shook my head and kept on pedaling. The fast rider passed the rider in front of me as well.
I was gaining some good speed and the gap between me and the rider in front of me was slowly closing. I hit the end of Race Rd and really poured it on. Well, in reality it was just marginally increasing my speed but at that point it felt like I was pouring it on. Because we ride Race Rd so often, I know almost every turn and bump in the road. I know exactly when to drop to a harder gear and when to go to an easier gear. I took every advantage of this knowledge.
By the finish line, I was about 3 bike lengths behind the rider in front of me. Considering the course is roughly 5 miles, I had almost made up the 30 second difference between us. I haven't seen the email from John yet with our overall results, but I know that I gave it everything I had. And it's a starting point. Let's see where I am at the end of the class!
We rode up and back Race Rd for a warm up. It was a nice easy ride out and some bursts of power on the way back to get our legs ready to go hard.
So in 30 second intervals, one by one, we started. John decided the order and put the slower riders in the front and the faster riders in the back. He called my name towards the middle but then put a fast rider directly behind me. As I waited for my turn, my heart was pounding. I don't know why I was so nervous but I was.
I started and tried to get a good cadence going before hitting the hill. As I started the climb, a large pickup truck pulling a trailer came up behind me. Because the hill curves as it ascends, he was unable to pass me. Let me tell you how distracting it is to have this diesel truck chugging directly behind you as you struggle to get up a hill! I made it up the bottom half of the hill pretty well and hit a good cadence on the false flat area. It was at that point when the truck passed me and I was so happy.
I could see the rider in front of me so I kept looking up to gauge my distance from her. The top half of the hill was hard but I kept trying to power through it. I ran out of gears and just tried to keep going to the top. As I crested the hill, I shifted down and tried to make up the ground that I had lost on the rider in front of me.
I hit the circle at a good cadence and was feeling pretty confident about closing the gap between us. Unfortunately it was that moment when the fast rider who started behind me caught and passed me. She blew by like I was standing still. I just shook my head and kept on pedaling. The fast rider passed the rider in front of me as well.
I was gaining some good speed and the gap between me and the rider in front of me was slowly closing. I hit the end of Race Rd and really poured it on. Well, in reality it was just marginally increasing my speed but at that point it felt like I was pouring it on. Because we ride Race Rd so often, I know almost every turn and bump in the road. I know exactly when to drop to a harder gear and when to go to an easier gear. I took every advantage of this knowledge.
By the finish line, I was about 3 bike lengths behind the rider in front of me. Considering the course is roughly 5 miles, I had almost made up the 30 second difference between us. I haven't seen the email from John yet with our overall results, but I know that I gave it everything I had. And it's a starting point. Let's see where I am at the end of the class!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Open Water Swim Clinic
Saturday morning I got up super early and drove an hour to the Gunpowder State Park for an open water swim clinic. The morning air was cool. I was nervous but excited.
Anne and Pam were the instructors who I worked with during February and March. They were also teaching this clinic which made me feel a little bit more comfortable. Anne knew about my disastrous swim in Nanticoke. So when they said we were splitting up into beginner and intermediate levels, I wasn't sure which to join. I asked Anne and without hesitation, she said I should go with the intermediate group, which was with Pam. As I walked over, I told Pam that I wasn't sure I should be with the intermediate group. She told me that I would be fine.
We got into the water and did a "warm up" swim. My heart rate was through the roof and I barely was able to keep up with the group. My head was messing with me again. I kept telling myself to just calm down.
So over the course of 2 hours, we swam drills and practiced everything from breathing, to stroke mechanics, to body rotation. After about 10 minutes, I stopped thinking and just swam. That's the key! Just don't think!! I just relaxed and was able to swim.
By the end of the clinic, we did some longer sustained swims. We all started together, and I started at the back since I had been one of the slower ones up to that point. When the long swim was over, I realized that there was about half of the group behind me! Wow. So I'm not a fast swimmer, but I held my own with this intermediate group. I was very happy.
I didn't really learn anything new in this class. All of the things she taught us were the same things we worked on in the indoor swimming classes. But what I accomplished was gaining a significant amount of confidence. We swam a lot...for 2 hours! If I can do that, then I can definitely swim .9 miles in the triathlon!
I left there thinking that it was the best investment of time and money that I could have made. I am now excited to get in the water at the Rock Hall Triathlon and see what I can do! I'm not scared anymore. Thank you Anne and Pam!!!
We got into the water and did a "warm up" swim. My heart rate was through the roof and I barely was able to keep up with the group. My head was messing with me again. I kept telling myself to just calm down.
So over the course of 2 hours, we swam drills and practiced everything from breathing, to stroke mechanics, to body rotation. After about 10 minutes, I stopped thinking and just swam. That's the key! Just don't think!! I just relaxed and was able to swim.
By the end of the clinic, we did some longer sustained swims. We all started together, and I started at the back since I had been one of the slower ones up to that point. When the long swim was over, I realized that there was about half of the group behind me! Wow. So I'm not a fast swimmer, but I held my own with this intermediate group. I was very happy.
I didn't really learn anything new in this class. All of the things she taught us were the same things we worked on in the indoor swimming classes. But what I accomplished was gaining a significant amount of confidence. We swam a lot...for 2 hours! If I can do that, then I can definitely swim .9 miles in the triathlon!
I left there thinking that it was the best investment of time and money that I could have made. I am now excited to get in the water at the Rock Hall Triathlon and see what I can do! I'm not scared anymore. Thank you Anne and Pam!!!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Cycling Class
I can honestly say that I love my cycling class. We have had the last 2 classes cancelled because of rain and I was definitely missing my class. So last night as I drove to class I was very excited to ride. I didn't care what we did in class...I was just looking forward to being there.
A large majority of the people in my class are doing the Columbia Triathlon on Saturday so John was concerned about doing anything to strenuous. He decided that we should ride the 5 mile loop a few times. This loop includes a challenging climb, a gradual downhill where you can gather good speed, and the flat-ish Race Rd where we do our time trials.
We rode out and back on Race Road as a warmup. During our first loop, I struggled on the hill but felt really good about the rest of the loop. But as we were coming down Race Rd, John pulled up next to me and said I wasn't keeping my cadence up high enough. I was trying to conserve my energy for the hill but I didn't realize my cadence had dropped that low.
We all stopped and gathered together before we started the 2nd loop. John told us that on this loop he really wanted us to push it on the Race Rd section. As we got going, a car was approaching to our left. I had only clipped out on the left side. For some reason, I guess I panicked and leaned to the right. Well that foot was still clipped into the pedal so...yep, I fell over.
I didn't really hurt myself badly. I scraped up the palm of my hand and my elbow and will have a pretty bruise on my hip, but my pride was what suffered the most. I was quite embarrassed. One of the instructors helped me up and asked if I was ok. I smiled, thanked him and hopped on my bike as quickly as I could. Let's get going on this loop!
The instructor rode along with me. I think he must have thought I needed help after that rookie fall. Actually as we started the hill, I was really glad he was next to me. He helped me figure out when to shift my gears and gave me suggestions on how to tackle each part of the climb. After the hill was over, I was determined to prove to him that I could hang. So I shifted into my big ring and took off.
Of course he kept up with me. As we were riding, I was asking questions and he was giving me advice. I love this part of my cycling class...the opportunity to talk with those who know a lot more than I do. He made the comment "well at least you're not afraid of going fast". I said "nope, unless I'm going downhill". He said "you are going down hill". I looked down at my computer and saw that we were going 32 MPH! Holy cow! I was riding at 32 MPH, having a calm conversation and was totally in control. I've come a long way!
When we made the turn onto Race Road, I was determined to give it everything I had. The instructor fell back to ride with someone else and I focused on the rider in front of me. I caught her and focused on the next one.
So other than the fall, it was a great class!
A large majority of the people in my class are doing the Columbia Triathlon on Saturday so John was concerned about doing anything to strenuous. He decided that we should ride the 5 mile loop a few times. This loop includes a challenging climb, a gradual downhill where you can gather good speed, and the flat-ish Race Rd where we do our time trials.
We rode out and back on Race Road as a warmup. During our first loop, I struggled on the hill but felt really good about the rest of the loop. But as we were coming down Race Rd, John pulled up next to me and said I wasn't keeping my cadence up high enough. I was trying to conserve my energy for the hill but I didn't realize my cadence had dropped that low.
We all stopped and gathered together before we started the 2nd loop. John told us that on this loop he really wanted us to push it on the Race Rd section. As we got going, a car was approaching to our left. I had only clipped out on the left side. For some reason, I guess I panicked and leaned to the right. Well that foot was still clipped into the pedal so...yep, I fell over.
I didn't really hurt myself badly. I scraped up the palm of my hand and my elbow and will have a pretty bruise on my hip, but my pride was what suffered the most. I was quite embarrassed. One of the instructors helped me up and asked if I was ok. I smiled, thanked him and hopped on my bike as quickly as I could. Let's get going on this loop!
The instructor rode along with me. I think he must have thought I needed help after that rookie fall. Actually as we started the hill, I was really glad he was next to me. He helped me figure out when to shift my gears and gave me suggestions on how to tackle each part of the climb. After the hill was over, I was determined to prove to him that I could hang. So I shifted into my big ring and took off.
Of course he kept up with me. As we were riding, I was asking questions and he was giving me advice. I love this part of my cycling class...the opportunity to talk with those who know a lot more than I do. He made the comment "well at least you're not afraid of going fast". I said "nope, unless I'm going downhill". He said "you are going down hill". I looked down at my computer and saw that we were going 32 MPH! Holy cow! I was riding at 32 MPH, having a calm conversation and was totally in control. I've come a long way!
When we made the turn onto Race Road, I was determined to give it everything I had. The instructor fell back to ride with someone else and I focused on the rider in front of me. I caught her and focused on the next one.
So other than the fall, it was a great class!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Open Water Swim Success
We spent the weekend in Betterton for Mother's Day. It's such a nice, relaxing place. But for this weekend, being in Betterton accomplishes a training goal: more open water swimming.
Saturday turned out to be a nice, warm day with very little wind. I had arranged to borrow a kayak from the neighbors Brian and Maureen so that Stephen could be out in the water with me while I swim.
We lugged the kayak across the public beach and with each step I started to get more and more nervous. I got in the water as Stephen was getting situated in the kayak. I did some breathing bobs to try to get in the right mode.
I started swimming and felt the water getting noticeably colder as I got into the deeper water. By the time I was out past the jetty and docks, I was getting very nervous. I stopped swimming and started treading water for a minute. I told Stephen I need to switch from the Olympic distance to the sprint distance. I was in a high state of anxiety.
Stephen said simply "just keep going". So I did. I put my head back in the water and kept going. I realized that a lot of my issues with open water swimming are all in my head.
However, I can't really do any strokes other than freestyle. So while other triathletes flip over and do the backstroke when they need a break from freestyle, I can't do that. I really can't do the backstroke at all. So I played around with some of the other strokes from my childhood swimming lessons. Side stroke was the alternative stroke that moved me through the water the fastest. Many people do the breast stroke but I just felt like I wasn't going anywhere when I did that. So I suppose that when I need a break from the freestyle, I will be doing the side stroke. Not exactly the fastest stroke out there, but I suppose the fastest for me.
I still had a few moments where I questioned my sanity with this whole Olympic distance triathlon, but I made it to the shore. I swam from the public beach to the cottages. According to map my swim, the distance was .62 miles. I need to swim .3 more miles for the race. I think it's do-able but will definitely be a challenge to me. It would definitely help if Stephen could be in the kayak encouraging me like he did on Saturday. It was really nice to hear "you can do it" and "keep going".
Monday I went to the pool while the girls had swimming lessons. I decided to swim as much as I could in the short amount of time I had during the lesson. So I swam 1000 yards which is less than .6 miles. Tihs coming Saturday I have an open water swimming clinic. I'm really looking forward to that...I obviously need it desperately.
Saturday turned out to be a nice, warm day with very little wind. I had arranged to borrow a kayak from the neighbors Brian and Maureen so that Stephen could be out in the water with me while I swim.
We lugged the kayak across the public beach and with each step I started to get more and more nervous. I got in the water as Stephen was getting situated in the kayak. I did some breathing bobs to try to get in the right mode.
I started swimming and felt the water getting noticeably colder as I got into the deeper water. By the time I was out past the jetty and docks, I was getting very nervous. I stopped swimming and started treading water for a minute. I told Stephen I need to switch from the Olympic distance to the sprint distance. I was in a high state of anxiety.
Stephen said simply "just keep going". So I did. I put my head back in the water and kept going. I realized that a lot of my issues with open water swimming are all in my head.
However, I can't really do any strokes other than freestyle. So while other triathletes flip over and do the backstroke when they need a break from freestyle, I can't do that. I really can't do the backstroke at all. So I played around with some of the other strokes from my childhood swimming lessons. Side stroke was the alternative stroke that moved me through the water the fastest. Many people do the breast stroke but I just felt like I wasn't going anywhere when I did that. So I suppose that when I need a break from the freestyle, I will be doing the side stroke. Not exactly the fastest stroke out there, but I suppose the fastest for me.
I still had a few moments where I questioned my sanity with this whole Olympic distance triathlon, but I made it to the shore. I swam from the public beach to the cottages. According to map my swim, the distance was .62 miles. I need to swim .3 more miles for the race. I think it's do-able but will definitely be a challenge to me. It would definitely help if Stephen could be in the kayak encouraging me like he did on Saturday. It was really nice to hear "you can do it" and "keep going".
Monday I went to the pool while the girls had swimming lessons. I decided to swim as much as I could in the short amount of time I had during the lesson. So I swam 1000 yards which is less than .6 miles. Tihs coming Saturday I have an open water swimming clinic. I'm really looking forward to that...I obviously need it desperately.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Why a Bad Race is a Good Thing
So after a few days, I've had some time to reflect on my triathlon effort on Sunday. I have to say that I'm glad that I have the opportunity to evaluate things from this perspective. Having such a bad experience in the swim allows me to reflect on why it was so bad....and it boils down to 2 things:
TRAINING
MENTAL TOUGHNESS
I knew going into this race that I had not trained as much as I should have. As a matter of fact, I knew that I was slacking on the swimming which has never been my strength. Until about a month ago, I was slacking on the running so I switched my focus from the swim to the run. I realized very quickly after getting into that cold water on Sunday that I should have made an effort to balance both.
Training for a triathlon really means that you are training for 3 sports. The reality of my life is that I don't have the luxury of a ton of free time. So that means that inevitably some portion of my training is going to suffer. Now, I feel pretty good about the fact that I can still participate in triathlons with this limited training, but I also need to understand the effect it will have on my overall performance in the races.
On the subject of mental toughness, I think I both failed and succeeded on Sunday. The failure came in the swim. I allowed myself to get to the panic stage which in turn caused me to take SO much more time in the water than I should have. Granted, the conditions were tough, but I probably could have managed the conditions much better if I had stopped panicking and just taken a moment to try to calm myself down. Based on the fact that I was one of the last out of the water, and I know I wasn't one of the worst swimmers there, it's clear that there was a failure on my part to control my reaction to the environment.
HOWEVER, I am not taking anything away from my mental toughness when it came to sticking with it and not quitting. I could have very easily asked for help and been taken out of the water on the jetski. Several other people did that, and I don't fault a single one of them for that decision. But for me, it was not the right decision. I knew that I could finish the swim and I set my mind on doing just that. I am fully aware that this displays an incredible amount of mental toughness. So for that part of it, I am very proud.
A bad race on Sunday leads to quite a bit of reflection and in the end, a re-dedication to training. I will still have a challenge to find time in my schedule to train. However, I now realize that I cannot focus on one part of the sport while sacrificing another part.
Next race - June 1st. Rock Hall Olympic distance triathlon. Here I come!!!
TRAINING
MENTAL TOUGHNESS
I knew going into this race that I had not trained as much as I should have. As a matter of fact, I knew that I was slacking on the swimming which has never been my strength. Until about a month ago, I was slacking on the running so I switched my focus from the swim to the run. I realized very quickly after getting into that cold water on Sunday that I should have made an effort to balance both.
Training for a triathlon really means that you are training for 3 sports. The reality of my life is that I don't have the luxury of a ton of free time. So that means that inevitably some portion of my training is going to suffer. Now, I feel pretty good about the fact that I can still participate in triathlons with this limited training, but I also need to understand the effect it will have on my overall performance in the races.
On the subject of mental toughness, I think I both failed and succeeded on Sunday. The failure came in the swim. I allowed myself to get to the panic stage which in turn caused me to take SO much more time in the water than I should have. Granted, the conditions were tough, but I probably could have managed the conditions much better if I had stopped panicking and just taken a moment to try to calm myself down. Based on the fact that I was one of the last out of the water, and I know I wasn't one of the worst swimmers there, it's clear that there was a failure on my part to control my reaction to the environment.
HOWEVER, I am not taking anything away from my mental toughness when it came to sticking with it and not quitting. I could have very easily asked for help and been taken out of the water on the jetski. Several other people did that, and I don't fault a single one of them for that decision. But for me, it was not the right decision. I knew that I could finish the swim and I set my mind on doing just that. I am fully aware that this displays an incredible amount of mental toughness. So for that part of it, I am very proud.
A bad race on Sunday leads to quite a bit of reflection and in the end, a re-dedication to training. I will still have a challenge to find time in my schedule to train. However, I now realize that I cannot focus on one part of the sport while sacrificing another part.
Next race - June 1st. Rock Hall Olympic distance triathlon. Here I come!!!
Monday, May 6, 2013
Nanticoke Triathlon: Race Recap
I was worried about this race for a lot of reasons. First, I didn't feel like I was trained as much as I should have been. Second, the weather was going to be chilly. Third, the water was going to be COLD. But I figured if I could make it through the Osprey with zero training, this would have to be easier...right???
The day started well enough. I stayed at Colleen's house. Jen and Scott met us in the morning. Colleen rode with me so I would have company and Keith jumped in with Jen and Scott. Colleen and I chatted nervously as we drove the hour to get to Nanticoke. This was Colleen and Jen's first triathlon. They actually were looking at ME as the expert since I've done one before. HAHA. Now that's a joke. I was as nervous as they were...probably more because I sort of knew what I was getting myself into.
We got there early enough that there was plenty of room in the transition area for us to set up our stuff together. Here we are setting up. For those of you who don't know Jen and Colleen, Jen is in the black jacket and Colleen is in the yellow. I'm the goof in the pink for those who don't know me.
Scott is a police officer and he brought some yellow crime scene tape which was a genius idea to help us find our spot in transition. They tell me that every second counts in transition and you don't want to be searching for your spot. Of course my transitions are so slow that I don't have to worry about seconds!
After getting set up, we wandered down to the body marking area. I have to say that I love this part of a triathlon. Something about having a stranger write a number on my arm and leg makes me feel like a total bad ass.
We lucked out and the sun was out. That helped the air temperature get slightly warmer than they had predicted. However, the water temperature was every bit as cold as they had predicted. After getting marked up, we walked down to check out the area to swim. I found this picture ironic. You can see the bouys set up for our swim in the distance, but in the foreground there is a warning sign posting No Swimming. What?!?!
I should have heeded the warning.
As we got into our wetsuits and made our way down to the swim start, I kept saying in my mind that it's going to be OK. I will just get through the swim and focus on my strengths - the bike and run. We made our way into the water and it was shockingly cold. I tried to bob up and down to get my body used to the temperature. The race director made an announcement that there was a small craft advisory so please be careful, then the air horn blew and we were off. Wait...what? Small craft advisory?
I hate the start of the swim. I need a little bit of time to get comfortable in the water and the beginning of the race is never good for that. So I let the masses of people go ahead of me and tried to stay out of people's way. I was breathing hard after just a couple of strokes. I quickly realized that the strokes I had taken were basically just fighting the current...and supposedly the jetty was protecting us from the current! Oh lord, this is going to be tough. The thought of "I should have trained more" went through my head.
The swim course was set up to swim next to the jetty out, clockwise around the buoys then heading back in next to the jetty. There were about 100 yards of swimming beyond the jetty where we were warned of strong current and high waves. I was terrified. About halfway out, I started to panic. I was already exhausted from fighting the current, couldn't feel my feet and had swallowed a ton of the briny water. I saw several people heading to the surfboards and kayaks to ask for help and being rescued by the jet ski. I thought of joining them.
It felt like I was not going anywhere. All thoughts of getting a good time went out of my head and my sole focus was just on surviving this nightmare of a swim. I thought the Osprey swim was hard, but this was a thousand times harder. Finally I made it to the end of the jetty. Now it was going to get scary. Immediately I felt the current increase in strength and the waves were crashing all around me. I felt like I couldn't get away from the water. I was in a high state of panic and doing everything I could to try to keep it somewhat under control.
We had to swim around the buoys, but the current was dragging the buoys as far as their ropes would allow them to go so I think we actually went farther than intended. I was in a group of about 5 women and we all tried to work together to encourage each other to get around the buoys. Once we finally got around them, we broke apart again to work on our individual efforts. Finally I made it back to where the jetty held off the worst of the current. I have never been so physically exhausted, and I was only slightly more than halfway done with this torture. But I could look at the shoreline, see the crowd and see the path where I get to get out of this hell. I have a singular mission...get to that path.
At this point, I'm no longer swimming really. I was doing whatever I could to move my body closer to that path. My legs were the only thing that had any energy left in them, so I used them and kicked with everything I had. I just used my arms to stay afloat and pointed in the right direction. I sort of did a freestyle-ish movement with my arms but they were useless. I looked behind me and saw that I was very close to being the last one....there were maybe 5 or 6 women behind me. I didn't care.
The surfers and the kayakers all asked me if I was OK as I went by them. I nodded yes, even though I wasn't OK. As I passed each one, I thought seriously about asking for help. But then I looked back at the path and realized that I couldn't give up. I will finish this damn thing even if I'm the last one out of the water!
Finally I got past the buoy that indicates that I can stand up and walk out of the water. I didn't even care that the bottom of the river was about an inch of gushy stuff before becoming sandier as it got more shallow. I had done it. I finished the swim! Thank God!
I jogged into the transition area knowing that I was physically exhausted and wondering how I would ever be able to bike or run after that. But I just took one thing at a time. Get out of the wetsuit. Done. Dry off feet and put socks on, then cycling shoes. Done. Put on helmet and jacket. Done. Get bike off rack and get out of transition. Done. Mount the bike and ride.
Now I've had some good success on the bike so far this year. On a flat course, I fully expected to ride in the range of 20 MPH, especially since it was only 15 miles. I rode out of the park and onto the main road and again was reminded that I had expended all of my energy in the water. My legs just simply had no power. And then there was the headwind. Well, I reasoned, at least there will be a tailwind on the way back in. But no, the eastern shore did it again...a headwind on the way out and on the way back in.
I could not get the bike to go faster than 18 MPH. Occasionally I hit 19 when the trees were blocking the wind, but most of the time I was going 15 or 16 MPH. But I focused on what John had taught me - keep spinning at 90 RPM and save your legs. I was consistently passing people on the bike, which was a big confidence booster. I must have passed about 10-12 people and no one passed me. No longer at the very back of the pack, I started to forget about the harrowing swim.
As I rode into transition, I decided to enjoy the rest of my day regardless of what happened. I cheered for the runners who were running out of the park as I rode in. I saw Gail, a friend from OC, and cheered for her by name. Those who I didn't know, I gave a generic cheer. I went into transition, racked my bike, changed my shoes and felt overall good about my transition time. I jogged out of transition with a nice lady wearing what looked like a team cycling jersey. I ran next to her for a moment and gave her a "good job". We chatted briefly about how bad the winds were and how thankfully the weather had turned nice for the run. I told her to stay strong and settled into my comfortable running pace.
I had wanted to run a 9 minute per mile pace for the run. However, after everything I had gone through up to that point, I knew that wasn't sustainable. So I changed it to a 10 minute pace. As long as I kept somewhere near a 10 minute mile, I'd be happy with the run portion.
One of the reasons I love running so much is that you have time to look around, chat with fellow runners, thank the volunteers and wave to the spectators. So I made sure that I enjoyed every bit of that. I got passed by one lady on the run and I passed several runners. But at this point in the race I was just enjoying the day. After the turn around, I again saw the lady with the team cycling jersey. We high-fived and I told her good job. I also saw Jen for the first time and gave her a high five too. I told her "you can do it"!
Coming back into the park was a very pretty part of the run. I enjoyed it all. I had nothing left in the tank to do a finish line sprint so I just kept running at my pace. It was all I had.
But I crossed the finish line knowing that I had accomplished something. I kept going when many didn't or couldn't. I survived. My time doesn't matter. My place doesn't matter. Even when I was so physically exhausted that I didn't think I could continue, I did. And I finished. In the end, that's all that matters.
Here we are after the race, all smiles because we're done. Oh, and Colleen was totally bit by the triathlon bug. She has already signed up for another one! The jury is still out on Jen. She had an experience similar to mine, except worse because the current dragged her onto the wrong side of the jetty. She stated "I will NEVER do this again" but an hour later she was asking me about the Rocky Gap Triathlon. We'll see about her!
The day started well enough. I stayed at Colleen's house. Jen and Scott met us in the morning. Colleen rode with me so I would have company and Keith jumped in with Jen and Scott. Colleen and I chatted nervously as we drove the hour to get to Nanticoke. This was Colleen and Jen's first triathlon. They actually were looking at ME as the expert since I've done one before. HAHA. Now that's a joke. I was as nervous as they were...probably more because I sort of knew what I was getting myself into.
We got there early enough that there was plenty of room in the transition area for us to set up our stuff together. Here we are setting up. For those of you who don't know Jen and Colleen, Jen is in the black jacket and Colleen is in the yellow. I'm the goof in the pink for those who don't know me.
After getting set up, we wandered down to the body marking area. I have to say that I love this part of a triathlon. Something about having a stranger write a number on my arm and leg makes me feel like a total bad ass.
As we got into our wetsuits and made our way down to the swim start, I kept saying in my mind that it's going to be OK. I will just get through the swim and focus on my strengths - the bike and run. We made our way into the water and it was shockingly cold. I tried to bob up and down to get my body used to the temperature. The race director made an announcement that there was a small craft advisory so please be careful, then the air horn blew and we were off. Wait...what? Small craft advisory?
I hate the start of the swim. I need a little bit of time to get comfortable in the water and the beginning of the race is never good for that. So I let the masses of people go ahead of me and tried to stay out of people's way. I was breathing hard after just a couple of strokes. I quickly realized that the strokes I had taken were basically just fighting the current...and supposedly the jetty was protecting us from the current! Oh lord, this is going to be tough. The thought of "I should have trained more" went through my head.
The swim course was set up to swim next to the jetty out, clockwise around the buoys then heading back in next to the jetty. There were about 100 yards of swimming beyond the jetty where we were warned of strong current and high waves. I was terrified. About halfway out, I started to panic. I was already exhausted from fighting the current, couldn't feel my feet and had swallowed a ton of the briny water. I saw several people heading to the surfboards and kayaks to ask for help and being rescued by the jet ski. I thought of joining them.
It felt like I was not going anywhere. All thoughts of getting a good time went out of my head and my sole focus was just on surviving this nightmare of a swim. I thought the Osprey swim was hard, but this was a thousand times harder. Finally I made it to the end of the jetty. Now it was going to get scary. Immediately I felt the current increase in strength and the waves were crashing all around me. I felt like I couldn't get away from the water. I was in a high state of panic and doing everything I could to try to keep it somewhat under control.
We had to swim around the buoys, but the current was dragging the buoys as far as their ropes would allow them to go so I think we actually went farther than intended. I was in a group of about 5 women and we all tried to work together to encourage each other to get around the buoys. Once we finally got around them, we broke apart again to work on our individual efforts. Finally I made it back to where the jetty held off the worst of the current. I have never been so physically exhausted, and I was only slightly more than halfway done with this torture. But I could look at the shoreline, see the crowd and see the path where I get to get out of this hell. I have a singular mission...get to that path.
At this point, I'm no longer swimming really. I was doing whatever I could to move my body closer to that path. My legs were the only thing that had any energy left in them, so I used them and kicked with everything I had. I just used my arms to stay afloat and pointed in the right direction. I sort of did a freestyle-ish movement with my arms but they were useless. I looked behind me and saw that I was very close to being the last one....there were maybe 5 or 6 women behind me. I didn't care.
The surfers and the kayakers all asked me if I was OK as I went by them. I nodded yes, even though I wasn't OK. As I passed each one, I thought seriously about asking for help. But then I looked back at the path and realized that I couldn't give up. I will finish this damn thing even if I'm the last one out of the water!
Finally I got past the buoy that indicates that I can stand up and walk out of the water. I didn't even care that the bottom of the river was about an inch of gushy stuff before becoming sandier as it got more shallow. I had done it. I finished the swim! Thank God!
I jogged into the transition area knowing that I was physically exhausted and wondering how I would ever be able to bike or run after that. But I just took one thing at a time. Get out of the wetsuit. Done. Dry off feet and put socks on, then cycling shoes. Done. Put on helmet and jacket. Done. Get bike off rack and get out of transition. Done. Mount the bike and ride.
Now I've had some good success on the bike so far this year. On a flat course, I fully expected to ride in the range of 20 MPH, especially since it was only 15 miles. I rode out of the park and onto the main road and again was reminded that I had expended all of my energy in the water. My legs just simply had no power. And then there was the headwind. Well, I reasoned, at least there will be a tailwind on the way back in. But no, the eastern shore did it again...a headwind on the way out and on the way back in.
I could not get the bike to go faster than 18 MPH. Occasionally I hit 19 when the trees were blocking the wind, but most of the time I was going 15 or 16 MPH. But I focused on what John had taught me - keep spinning at 90 RPM and save your legs. I was consistently passing people on the bike, which was a big confidence booster. I must have passed about 10-12 people and no one passed me. No longer at the very back of the pack, I started to forget about the harrowing swim.
As I rode into transition, I decided to enjoy the rest of my day regardless of what happened. I cheered for the runners who were running out of the park as I rode in. I saw Gail, a friend from OC, and cheered for her by name. Those who I didn't know, I gave a generic cheer. I went into transition, racked my bike, changed my shoes and felt overall good about my transition time. I jogged out of transition with a nice lady wearing what looked like a team cycling jersey. I ran next to her for a moment and gave her a "good job". We chatted briefly about how bad the winds were and how thankfully the weather had turned nice for the run. I told her to stay strong and settled into my comfortable running pace.
I had wanted to run a 9 minute per mile pace for the run. However, after everything I had gone through up to that point, I knew that wasn't sustainable. So I changed it to a 10 minute pace. As long as I kept somewhere near a 10 minute mile, I'd be happy with the run portion.
One of the reasons I love running so much is that you have time to look around, chat with fellow runners, thank the volunteers and wave to the spectators. So I made sure that I enjoyed every bit of that. I got passed by one lady on the run and I passed several runners. But at this point in the race I was just enjoying the day. After the turn around, I again saw the lady with the team cycling jersey. We high-fived and I told her good job. I also saw Jen for the first time and gave her a high five too. I told her "you can do it"!
Coming back into the park was a very pretty part of the run. I enjoyed it all. I had nothing left in the tank to do a finish line sprint so I just kept running at my pace. It was all I had.
Here we are after the race, all smiles because we're done. Oh, and Colleen was totally bit by the triathlon bug. She has already signed up for another one! The jury is still out on Jen. She had an experience similar to mine, except worse because the current dragged her onto the wrong side of the jetty. She stated "I will NEVER do this again" but an hour later she was asking me about the Rocky Gap Triathlon. We'll see about her!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)