I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Jarrett and I started our day with our 3rd annual running of the 4.5 mile Drumstick Dash. This is one of my favorite races of the year. The morning was cold and rainy and honestly, staying in bed asleep sounded like a great idea, but we did manage to drag ourselves across town to Broadripple and even managed to score a decent parking spot! I finished in a new Drumstick Dash record of 43:41.8. Just to put this in perspective - I ran my first Dash in 53:22.7! Last year was somewhere around 45 minutes. I lost my stupid timing chip during the race after getting stepped on and I don't have an official record of the time. Needless to say, I'm happy! I'm running a 5K on December 12th and that will wrap up race season for 2009.
The house is almost decorated for Christmas. The big tree and a majority of the decorations are done. We just need to put up the little tree upstairs and maybe a few exterior lights. It looks like we are having Jarrett's family over for Christmas on December 26th. I don't mind hosting, but it is a little stressful having 12 people, two dogs, and a cat running around the house. It will be fun, but exhausting. It's a good thing I have until January 4th to recover before I go back to work!
I'll post some new pictures of my early Christmas present. Jarrett bought me a Cervelo P2 triathlon bike. It is awesome. The guys at A1-Cyclery gave me a fantastic price on a closeout 2009 model. They've been trying to sell me this bike for like a year. This weekend they got the price right. I had my fitting today and they had to make a few modifications to the aero bars so I get to bring her home tomorrow. Now...she just needs a killer name and a great race to break her in!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
1st Marathon - DONE
I ran the Indianapolis Marathon yesterday. The day started out stressful. I bought a new Garmin GPS to keep me from getting lost. I have a horrible sense of direction and it was about time to break down and buy one. The night before the race, Jarrett gave me directions. I listened, but didn't realize there are actually two exits on 465 to 56th street. I got off on the wrong one. Then I was having problems trusting that the Garmin knew where she was going. After I just gave in and followed her directions, I made it to the race. Late. Actually, I sat in traffic waiting to park for almost 45 minutes. After I parked, I could hear the crowd about 3/4 of a mile away cheering. I saw other people making a dash for the start line, so I figured I may get lucky and the race might not have started. Lucky for me, I got to the pack of racers just as the race started.
It was a cold morning. The first half of the race flew by. Before I knew it, I was at Mile 18. That's when things started getting a little rough. I ran most of miles 18-21 then I started to have some stomach issues. 21-26.2 I had to run/walk. My official race time was 4:26:49. Not bad for my first marathon!
I got home yesterday and took a shower and a short nap. My body actually didn't feel terrible. Jarrett took me out to dinner for prime rib (my favorite!). I was starving. I swear I haven't eaten that much food in years. I didn't get the best nights rest because of leg cramps, but now that I'm up and moving, I'm feeling pretty good today.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Go Girl Triathlon Race Report
Saturday was the last triathlon of the season. This race was my one year anniversary of triathlon racing. The Go Girl was my first race last year and after a terrifying swim, I am shocked I stuck with it.
So, how was the race? GREAT! I didn't get to see my race results until today and I am really happy with my times. When they posted results on Saturday, my name was suspiciously not anywhere on the list. I knew my chip was working because I heard it beeping during the race when I crossed timing mats. I emailed the guys at Tuxedo Brothers and they kindly researched the issue and figured out what my times were.
500 meter Swim: 15:07.01 (PR)
I did get to wear my new wetsuit. The wetsuit does help keep my big butt floating, however, it requires me to slightly modify my stroke and I haven't swam in it enough to figure out how not to make my left arm really sore and tired. The other issue I didn't experience in the pool was the feeling of claustrophobia and constriction in the open water. Again, it is just a lack of practice in the wetsuit and I am confident that next time I'm out in open water it will be even better. This was the first race I really have experienced effortlessly passing LOTS of people in the water. It was kind of cool! I didn't feel like I had a great swim when I got done, but this is the fastest 500 meter open water swim I've ever done.
T1: 3:27.3
T1 was SLOW. First time dealing with the wetsuit made me a little slow. I also was having issues with my cycling shoes.
The bike was MUCH improved over the last sprint tri. The hill that is immediately after transition did NOT kick my butt this time! I was not as fast as the Oly, but that course is totally flat. There are a few good rollers on the Eagle Creek course. Jarrett also did some quality adjustments to my bike fit. I took the seat up and adjusted my aero bars. The seat adjustment made a HUGE difference. No more knee pain!
10 Mile Bike: 0:39:38.7 (15.1 mph)
T2: 3:50.6 - Yeah...I don't know....I can't blame the wetsuit this time....maybe it was the search for the Kleenex?
The run was good. The hill out of transition did kick my butt on the run. I grabbed water and ran about half way up before I had to walk. I needed to finish my water and clear the water out of my head. I picked up my pace quickly and managed to find another runner to pace. She was wearing a watch and muttering to herself about a 10 mile pace and I thought "Score! I'll stick with this one!" It worked out well for me. I ran on her heels until about a quarter of a mile to the finish where I took off and sprinted ahead of our little pace group :)
3 mile Run: 0:30:18.9 (10:06 min/m)
Overall Race Time: 1:32:22.6
So what has a year done? Last years time: 1:40:26.3
My biggest improvements are in the swim. My swim last year was 21:19. The bike was also a slight improvement. Last year was 0:42:01.1 (14.3 mph). Last years run was 0:31:33.6 (10:31.2 min/mile).
So, how was the race? GREAT! I didn't get to see my race results until today and I am really happy with my times. When they posted results on Saturday, my name was suspiciously not anywhere on the list. I knew my chip was working because I heard it beeping during the race when I crossed timing mats. I emailed the guys at Tuxedo Brothers and they kindly researched the issue and figured out what my times were.
500 meter Swim: 15:07.01 (PR)
I did get to wear my new wetsuit. The wetsuit does help keep my big butt floating, however, it requires me to slightly modify my stroke and I haven't swam in it enough to figure out how not to make my left arm really sore and tired. The other issue I didn't experience in the pool was the feeling of claustrophobia and constriction in the open water. Again, it is just a lack of practice in the wetsuit and I am confident that next time I'm out in open water it will be even better. This was the first race I really have experienced effortlessly passing LOTS of people in the water. It was kind of cool! I didn't feel like I had a great swim when I got done, but this is the fastest 500 meter open water swim I've ever done.
T1: 3:27.3
T1 was SLOW. First time dealing with the wetsuit made me a little slow. I also was having issues with my cycling shoes.
The bike was MUCH improved over the last sprint tri. The hill that is immediately after transition did NOT kick my butt this time! I was not as fast as the Oly, but that course is totally flat. There are a few good rollers on the Eagle Creek course. Jarrett also did some quality adjustments to my bike fit. I took the seat up and adjusted my aero bars. The seat adjustment made a HUGE difference. No more knee pain!
10 Mile Bike: 0:39:38.7 (15.1 mph)
T2: 3:50.6 - Yeah...I don't know....I can't blame the wetsuit this time....maybe it was the search for the Kleenex?
The run was good. The hill out of transition did kick my butt on the run. I grabbed water and ran about half way up before I had to walk. I needed to finish my water and clear the water out of my head. I picked up my pace quickly and managed to find another runner to pace. She was wearing a watch and muttering to herself about a 10 mile pace and I thought "Score! I'll stick with this one!" It worked out well for me. I ran on her heels until about a quarter of a mile to the finish where I took off and sprinted ahead of our little pace group :)
3 mile Run: 0:30:18.9 (10:06 min/m)
Overall Race Time: 1:32:22.6
So what has a year done? Last years time: 1:40:26.3
My biggest improvements are in the swim. My swim last year was 21:19. The bike was also a slight improvement. Last year was 0:42:01.1 (14.3 mph). Last years run was 0:31:33.6 (10:31.2 min/mile).
Monday, August 24, 2009
And the race is on!
I have decided that HIM Augusta 2010 is going to be my race. I had a very difficult time choosing between Augusta and Florida. The main reason I went with Augusta is the time. September 2010 is 13 months from now. I will be ready. Florida is 9 months away. I could be ready, but I would also be missing running the Mini and the chance to get a few more sprints under my belt before the big race.
I bought my first wetsuit today! It is a Blue Seventy Reaction. I got it for a steal at the end of the season sale at my local bike shop. I tried on a total of four suits before settling on the Reaction. It fit, the price was right, and I hope to get a chance to use it this weekend at the last tri of the season.
In other news - Jarrett finished his first sprint triathlon last weekend! I am very proud of him. He has committed to doing another next year but has no desire to train for a HIM.
The fuzz kids are great. Maddie, our rescue sheltie, is doing very well. Mimi is as adorable as ever and Chloe the kitty thinks she rules the house. Frosty has made AMAZING progress this summer. After our last disastrous horse show, he and I have made some great strides. I've had to work through some fear issues from a rather nasty fall early in the summer, but I think I've got that all behind me now.
The house is coming along nicely. We just replaced the carpet in the majority of the house. We put down some nice laminate flooring in our spare room and master closet and are in the process of choosing a nice wood or laminate for our first floor. After the floors are done we're moving on to our master bath. Other then the house being in a constant state of disarray, it is starting to look really nice.
I bought my first wetsuit today! It is a Blue Seventy Reaction. I got it for a steal at the end of the season sale at my local bike shop. I tried on a total of four suits before settling on the Reaction. It fit, the price was right, and I hope to get a chance to use it this weekend at the last tri of the season.
In other news - Jarrett finished his first sprint triathlon last weekend! I am very proud of him. He has committed to doing another next year but has no desire to train for a HIM.
The fuzz kids are great. Maddie, our rescue sheltie, is doing very well. Mimi is as adorable as ever and Chloe the kitty thinks she rules the house. Frosty has made AMAZING progress this summer. After our last disastrous horse show, he and I have made some great strides. I've had to work through some fear issues from a rather nasty fall early in the summer, but I think I've got that all behind me now.
The house is coming along nicely. We just replaced the carpet in the majority of the house. We put down some nice laminate flooring in our spare room and master closet and are in the process of choosing a nice wood or laminate for our first floor. After the floors are done we're moving on to our master bath. Other then the house being in a constant state of disarray, it is starting to look really nice.
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