The End Of My First "Triathlon Off-Season"

Having started this short journey as a runner there really was never an off-season.  My friends and I still ran outside all winter training for a spring marathon. This year however I decided that instead of a spring marathon that I'd like to do the next distance in triathlon - the half Ironman. This race consists of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and a 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) run for a total distance for the day of 70.3 miles. Weather wise I couldn't have picked a better winter to do most of my training indoors. We had a blizzard, broke several snow records including the snowiest winter ever.

In triathlon there is an 'off-season' - where you focus on improving your performance and strength while not "training" for a specific race necessarily. I've  had a few people ask me which sport I was going to focus on during the offseason which leads me to think that's what some athletes focus more on one aspect and just keep a base in the others ... but I'm not sure. In my case my coach has me focusing on swimming and riding because those are the newest sports for me.

E3 Tri-Team has a swim coach, Karen Vasso, and she has been running open water swim classes on Thursday nights at MIT - which is a beautiful pool by the way. I have been attending class since October. The classes have gotten increasingly difficult - which they should - but I have struggled at times often feeling that my swim experience (read - speed) is far behind everyone else in the class. The support and encouragement that I get from everyone though is wonderful and it keeps me going back. I swam my longest distance a couple of weeks ago, 2600 yards - a little under 1 1/2 miles, and while it wasn't non-stop it's still a long way and a lot of time and if felt great!

E3 also holds indoor bike trainer classes at one of our sponsors - Landrys Bikes - which is ideal for me because my coach, Patricia Brownell, leads the class.  At the beginning of the session we do heart rate or power test to see where your fitness level is.  I had done this class last year and I increased my fitness level a lot of the past year.  As my coach put it - "Someone has learned how to pedal"!  That meant a lot to me, especially since I really love riding my bike.

The weather finally broke and I've been able to get some outdoor riding done and have even gone out by myself which was a huge accomplishment.  Its still a bit to cold for me to get into the open water which is frustrating but it will happen.

Tomorrow, May 10th is Mother's Day and my first race of the season.  Originally I had signed up for the triathlon but decided, with my coaches "help", to change to the duathlon because the water temperature was only 58-60 degrees.

In comparing tomorrow's race to my first race of last season, I am still nervous about getting to the start line but this time its not because I'm not sure I can do it - this time I KNOW I can do and that I really like it - its nervous anticipation and excitement.

Here we go - bring on Triathlon Season 2015!!!!

My first triathlon season comes to an end or how I spent my summer vacation

My first triathlon season has come to an end and I've had so much fun that it never felt like training - it was like being on vacation.  Below are a few of the highlights of my summer - in no particular order.

Jerome was my partner in crime for the majority of the summer with Beth joining in on some of our rides and swims.

False starts - this is when I'm on my bike and stopped at a stop sign or a red light and it takes more than one attempt to get started again due to nerves and cars. On one particular false start poor Jerome got stuck on the wrong side of Rte 2 because it took me until the light turned yellow to get myself going again.

Bricks (when you run after riding)  - My first "brick" - I found out really quick why its called a brick.  I think I only had to run for 10 mins - the entire time I was thinking how I'd made a big mistake about this 'tri' thing, that I couldn't possibly run 3 miles.

One of our first long - rides the "Sweet Virgina " loop - description: flat with  gently rolling hills. Well, in my humble opinion that was a bit of a fib.  There was nothing rolling about the hills and it was one of my first long rides. At mile 13  I ended up falling over going up one of the hills - I panicked a bit, dropped my chain, fell over - still clipped in.  Banged up and bloody I finished the ride, it rained a little, washing off some of the blood.  We got lost and ended up going about 35 miles.  I had to do a short brick after the ride and my ankle didn't feel gret but then this was only my second brick and nothing felt great so I didn't think anything of it until we were back at the car and I took my sneakers and socks off. That's when I realized the golf-ball sized swelling on my ankle wasn't a good thing - I'd sprained the damn thing.

Wet Suits -  it takes a village to get the damn thing on the first (second or third) time.  The first time I wore it at Walden Pond I was swimming with Jerome we were swimming to the first point, only problem was every time I looked up to spot I was facing the house.  Apparently, its really important to make sure that you have the wet suit all the way up on BOTH sides or you swim in circles.  When I uploaded my information on Garmin I you could clearly see that I had swum in a circle several times before I just decided to doggy paddle to the point and fix myself.  It was pretty comical after I got done being frustrated.

First swim across Walden Pond - The first time I swam to other side of Walden, I stood up and looked across to the bathhouse and welled up with tears - I was so overwhelmed at what I had accomplished.

For my Olympic I wore an earplug for my swim - I didn't realize that I had left it in for the entire race until I was done and sitting with Tyler of Race-Pak in his tent and reached up to get a piece of "hair" out of my ear.

And of course - crossing the finish line - NOW I'm a triathlete!  An amazing, adrenaline-filled, unexplainable feeling!

Pumpkinman Sprint - my last tri of the season

Pumpkinman or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good - my swim
The Bad - my Garmin lost its satellite signal
The Ugly - the "Powder Hill Challenge" coming out of the swim and the weather

I was excited and sad about this race all at the same time.  This was my last race of the season and I've had such a great time that I wasn't looking forward to it being over.  As Saturday got closer I started to feel more excited and nervous so I knew I ready.  I took Friday off so I could get my stuff together and have my favorite pre-race breakfast - pancakes. My friend Jerome had the day off as well so we had breakfast together and talked about logistics for the weekend - my race was Saturday and his was on Sunday.  Our friend Beth was coming up with me to spectate for both races - YAY!

What a difference a couple of weeks makes - when I got up Saturday morning to get ready leave  (mind you - it was 3:45 am) it was pitch black out.  Beth got to my house at 4:30 and we headed off for So. Berwick, ME.  It was dark almost the entire ride with the sun just starting to rise as we arrived at Spring Hill.  The packet pick up was really easy - and I headed off for transition to set up my 'stuff'.

Unlike Cranberry where they tried to put club members together, this race puts you together by age group - I still haven't decided if I like this way or not.  There was a woman doing her first tri and a little unsure how to set stuff up so it was nice to be able to help her out.  Once I got my things organized I still had a lot of time to kill so I grabbed my Beet-It and went to check out "Powder Hill" and the swim.

This is the climb coming out of the water.  The view in the picture doesn't do it justice - with my wet suit on, and the hot, humid air this climb was miserable - but we were all miserable together. I can proudly tell you that I did not win the Queen of the Hill contest.  Time to get my wet suit on....

Swim - 3 Dolphin dives and 2 Buoy turns - This was the first time that my wave wasn't next to last - I was pretty much in the middle.  It had me a little concerned because the young, fast guys were behind me so I got myself more towards the middle of my wave. When the "Go" shout came the women at the front were quickley off. The women near me and in front of me were kinda just standing there - I assume - planning their entry- I decided that I wasn't going to wait around and promptly did 3 dolphin dives and was on my way.  They only had 2 buoys for the swim and the first one was directly into the sun - it was very difficult to spot and I think I pulled my head up more than I would've liked. I lined myself up for the buoy, refused to give up my space (the women who hesitated at the start had caught up to me) and boom buoy turn #1 done and on my way to the next one. I had a little more trouble with this turn - one of the people in the kayak had a bright orange life vest on and I mistakenly started sighting on him. Fortunately he was on the way to the buoy but I swam and little zig-zag once I figured it out. By now the faster folks were starting to catch up to me so I had more competition for the buoy but I'm stubborn so I wasn't going to give up my line - buoy turn #2 done and I headed for the finish. Before I got to the finish however I got tangled up in the lily pads. I didn't realize how quickly those things can wrap themselves around your arms and legs - while it was frustrating trying to get them off it turned out to be beneficial - it made me pick up my kick cadence so my legs were ready to get out of the water.

T1
To get to where your bikes are you have to run - or as in my case walk - up the big ass hill. I had walked it before the race so I knew what I was in for and had made the decision not to run but to use the time to get my wet suit off as much as possible.  I finally made it to my bike, got my wet suit off the rest of the way had a drink of Coke while I put my socks, shoes and helmet on and headed out of transition.  I changed my routine a little and didn't have my GU until I was on my bike - trying to save a couple of minutes.

Bike
As I headed out of T1 and mounted my bike there seemed to be a traffic jam of riders - I need to get more confident so I can just 'push' my way thru and not wait for 'my turn'.  I finally headed off and noticed that my Garmin wasn't working. I tried turning it off and back on and it just didn't seem to want to sync.  It was really frustrating because I really depend on it to make sure I don't push too
hard.  I did still have the HR monitor so I tried to used that as my guide.  I settled in, took a GU and got to the business of getting my ride in.  I passed a few people and got passed by others.  I felt really comfortable albeit a little blind because I didn't know my speed or how long I'd been riding - I'll admit it was a bit frustrating.  As I came up on another rider someone came up behind me and started to pass me - as she started to go by me she told me that I'd probably catch her soon but then she just rode beside me.  I was a bit pissed for 2 reasons 1 -its against the rules and 2 -  because we had started down a hill and had a snotty, short steep (think the middle part of Eastern Ave.) in front of us.  I had no way to gain any momentum so I had to go with what I had and try to power my way up the hill. There were more than a couple of people walking up the hill - including the one that blocked me in (karma) but I was resolute that the only way I was getting off my bike was if I was pedaling so slow and I fell over.

Success - I was up that damned hill!!! Now I just had to finish the ride and made my way back to transition.  Getting into transition posed it's own challenge - it was at the top of a little hill- I am not great at stopping going up hill so I went a bit further than they wanted but at least I did better than a rider I saw the next day - she kept riding right into transition!

T2 - Once into transition I racked my bike, drank some Coke, fidgeted with my watch again - just in case it had decided to work. By now it was  getting really hot so I wanted to make sure I hydrated well.  I put on my sneakers, grabbed my red water bottle and headed out for my run.

Run
It was hot and the beginning of the run was in full sun. I don't usually do well in the heat and today was no different. I was about 5 mins into my run when I realized that I had grabbed the bottle of Coke and not my red water bottle.  In the first mile there was a woman handing out bottles of water but she didn't have anything on that identified her as a race official and I remembered that according to the rules you can't have assistance or take anything from anyone so I stuck with my bottle of Coke until I got to the first water stop. I grabbed some water, one over my head, one down my bra and one I actually drank. I also threw away my Coke bottle. Little did I realize that throwing away that bottle was going to be a huge mistake - despite the 90 degree temperature there was not another water stop on the run course.  I struggled thru the run and had to walk at times but pulled it together by the time I got close to the finish line.  Pumpkinman's finish line is at the bottom of hill that was the down hill version of the one that I had to go up to get to T1.

I was happy to finish but sad at the same time - it meant that my first tri season was over.

Cranberry Trifest - My first Olympic Distance!

I'm writing this report a little later than I normally do after a race but for a good reason.... it was such a great day that this would probably have been 3 times longer.

A lot of my success in this race happened before the first swim wave even began.  I have been blessed with an extremely supportive team - E3 Training Solutions Tri-Team, this includes not only my coach, Patricia Brownell, but the Head Coach and founder, Jorge Martinez, the swim coach - Karen Vasso, Jana Richtrova, a tremendously talented tri-athlete who always has time to answer my 6 million questions and my training partner Jerome Lang.

Then there's Stephanie Feltman and Brett Richardson who joined me for my long ride the week before the race.  Prior to riding with them on my long rides, Jerome and I always stop for nutrition and water breaks - which made sense to me, since we weren't in a race.  Well, I forgot that similar to when I'm training for a marathon, I need to practice fueling.  The ride with Stephanie and Brett was great - we did a Charles River Wheelman's route - so we just had to follow the 'coat hangers' which was fun - but I forgot to take care of my nutrition and BOOM -I hit a wall when I had to run right after that.  So, that experience gave me the week to come up with ideas and solutions of how to make sure I took in the calories I need so that I'd be successful!

I also met with Coach Karen, Jorge and Jana to help me get ideas on how to get past/around - what has become known as  'my floater'.  This was the person from my Sharon tri that decided the middle of race was a good time to 'float' sideways across the swim course. Karen suggested that I pretend the buoys at Walden Pond were 'my floater' and 'move' them out of my way (Jana - she meant push ;-) ).

And lastly, Jana, Jorge, Beth and Peej for keeping me grounded the night before the race.  I was having a lot of doubts that I could complete the distance.  I was so nervous that I was walking aimlessly through my apartment with my checklist in my hand.  When I got to my race belt - that sent me over the edge.  It sounds silly, and I realize that now, but at the moment whether or not to use my fuel belt and carrying my own water vs. just getting it at the aid stations was overwhelming.  In hindsight I think part of that has to do with past experience in road races.  As a back of the pack runner there has been many races of varying distances that would not have any water or gatorade by the time I would get there, leaving me to run without adequate hydration.  I decided that I would use my fuel belt - it was my 'security blanket'.

And now for my race - Jerome and I had decided that we wanted to get there early so we could hopefully park on-site and avoid long lines to get our race packet.  We got there to find that they had grouped Beth and Stephanie next to us in the transition area.

 As a bonus my friends, Carrie-Ann, Urvi and Kimi from the Somerville Road Runners were racked in the next row.  I got my gear set-up, drank my Beet-It juice and tried to make sure I didn't have more than I needed laid out.  It was time to head to the swim start.

Swim - My wave was next to last, just before the Beginners wave.  This was nice except it gave me a lot of time to get nervous.  They did the swim wave in a time trial format which meant they had the swimmers start 2 at a time about 3-5 seconds apart.  The first wave started at 8:00 am - I didn't get into the water until 8:21 am.... lots of time for nerves.  Because this was going to be my longest race swim I kept reminding myself to stay calm and swim my own race.  The pond was very low so there were a couple of times early on that I touched weeds which I didn't like but - oh well.  I was trying to stay focused and keep my eyes on the buoys but there were a few times that I had to 'move' other swimmers out of my space.  I didn't punch or elbow anyone it was more a part of my stroke except my catch was a gently push because they were going to hit me.  After about 10 minutes it started to thin out a bit and I was able to get into a rhythm.  As I was going along I thought about Coach Jorge who was doing his first Ironman that day and in all likihood doing his swim at the same time.  I thought about the task that lay ahead of him and it made my swim short in comparison and helped keep my mind occupied as I moved from one buoy to the next.  I finally reached the far end of the pond and had to change direction to head back to the shore - I surprised myself and I did a buoy turn - Coach Karen -I managed an actual buoy turn.  We practiced these in swim class and I practiced them at Walden but never thought at this stage I'd be able to execute it in a race and then BAM - I did it.  That gave me a boost of adreneline and I picked up my pace a little - but still being conservative.  The exit from the water at this race consists of a steep set of granite stairs and then a long run back to tranisition.  When I spotted the exit I picked up my kicking to get the blood flowing into my legs to help make me steadier when I stood up to head up the stairs - which I held on to tightly because I had this vision of me doing a face plant - and headed back to transition.

T1 - I got to my bike and got my wet suit off - again trying to stay focused on one thing at a time but making sure to drink some Coke - at Jana's suggestion regular not diet.  I grabbed my Bonk Bar and put it down my bra put my helmet on (not backwards this time) took another drink and headed out of transition.  I managed to run most of the way to the mounting line, clipped in on the first try and headed off for my ride.

Ride - Peej had given me a pace that she wanted me to keep and I set off with that as my goal.  I also reminded myself that I really needed to make sure that I paid attention to my nutrition.  This was going to be my longest ride in a race and then I had to run, if I didn't take in enough calories I was going to hit a concrete wall on my run.  With that in mind I settled in and was focused.  I didn't see another rider for about 5 miles and would've thought that I had missed a turn somewhere but the race director had done a nice job of making sure there were many volunteers on the course directing traffic.  After mile 5 I started to see other riders.  It was nice to have  'rabbits' but I was having a hard time trying to stay at the pace Peej wanted me at.  I wanted to go faster - I had the legs but was really trying to stay on my plan.  I also was making sure that I stay hydrated and took in my nutrition.  There was one funny moment -  I had just ripped a GU from my crossbar and I hit the section of the road that was under construction - the pavement was milled.  This was quite a sight.... the GU was hanging out of the side of my mouth because I had to hang on with 2 hands.  I kept letting go to try and get the GU in and not have it fall to the ground - this went on for about 3/4 of a mile before I was able to finally finish the packet.  I had to chuckle about it.  As I got closer to the end of my ride I saw Denise and Stephanie finishing their run.  It was nice to see them and cheer them on - I knew I was getting close.  I took the final turn of the ride, shifted into a lower gear and picked up my cadence to get more blood into my legs and help them be ready for my run.

T2 - I headed into transition to get ready for my run.  I got my sneakers on, drank some Coke, grabbed my visor and fuel belt and headed out for my run.  I'm getting better at this part.

Run - As I headed out on the run I heard Urvi call my name as she went past me - its always nice to see someone you know.  I tried to settle into a comfortably hard pace that I would be able to maintain.  I came up on one runner who seemed to be having an issue because she would run and then walk  so I asked her if she was ok - she was ok - she was doing a 30 second walk- 30 second run for her run.  So I went on.  My concerns about there not being water or gatorade for the back of the packers turned out to be a lot of worry for nothing.  The race director did a nice job of ensuring that all of us had sufficient support on the course and it was wonderful.  I passed a few more runners and continued on my way. I ran by feel a lot and pushed a little harder.  I was surprised when I saw my final 10k time - I thought it would be slower than my normal times but it was actually a little faster.

As I made the final turn I saw the finish line chute as I got closer to the finish mat I saw my E3 team mates along the sidelines waiting for me - it was great to see them and do high 5's along the way.  Crossing the finish line is an amazing feeling and one that is hard to put into words.

Taper, Rest and Recovery before my first Olympic distance tri

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were the hardest workout days of this cycle in preparation for my first Olympic distance race. I had double workouts each day which wasn't too bad and I managed ok Thanks for challenaging me Coach Peej). The only hiccup was my brick (when you run immediately after getting off the bike). I had done a 28 mile ride - which was a blast - but for the first time we didn't stop along the way. I haven't even come close to managing my nutrition well on the bike - it means I would have to let go of the handlebars - still scary.  So in a 2:15 ride I only managed one GU and a small bite of a honey stinger.  Needless to say I struggled on my run - it was ugly- but I got it done.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking  forward to my rest day on Monday. I learned a lesson about my nutrition - an area of constant learning-  and it's taken me a couple of days to feel like my energy 'tank' is refueled. Now it's time to let my muscles and body repair and rebuild before the big race.

It has been important, for me, to have developed a good relationship with my Sports Med doctor, Dr Karson Mui. Dr Mui and his staff keep me runnng, riding and swimming. An important part of my pre-race preparation is to see Dr. Mui and have him work on any tightness or aches they may have cropped up (and they usually do during taper).

So now it's a couple of easy workouts, try not to overthink and set unrealistic expectations and remember this has been a blast, and of course, my favorite pre-race breakfast - pancakes!

#E3triteam # E3training #MuiChiropractic

Sharon Triathlon - Signing up for this one was a no brainer!

It just seemed right when I signed up for the Sharon Tri.  Last year, before I bought Oz and was only entertaining the idea that I 'might' do a triathlon I decided that I should probably see exactly what it is and how it works. So I met my coach, Peej at the lake and watched the race take place.  I found it to be a bit overwhelming but Peej assured me that I'd be just fine.  I was happy to see that the last person out of the water was not the last person to finish the race.... made me feel better.

And so, a year later, new bike loaded on to the car, after double-checking my backpack I'm on my way to Sharon to participate in my 3rd race. This morning is a bit different than the other 2 race because I'm going by myself.  Beth and Jerome have been my nerve calmers up to this point but now it was time to pull my big girl socks up and get to my race.  I knew I would see a few people that I know - including some of my E3 teammates so that made me feel a bit more confident.

I came away from my last race with a couple of lessons learned, the first being not to have too much 'stuff' in transition. So I drank my Beet-It, made sure my bike was positioned right because these racks were new to me... your bike 'sat' in slots rather that hang from a bar.  I organized my bike stuff and nutrition. When I volunteered at the Mass State Tri I noticed that a lot of the athletes had GU taped to the cross bar of their bikes.  I talked to Peej about the best way.... where... etc because I wanted to try it.  So after I had everything set up I decided to give it a whirl.... I taped a GU to the crossbar like Peej had told me.  I know it sounds silly but when I stepped back and looked at my bike I felt like a 'real' triathlete.  Now I had to hope I'd be able to manage it while I was riding.

I got my wetsuit on and headed to the start line to wait for my wave to take off.  Earlier in the week Max Performance had sent out an email with the swim waves and I was very happy that my wave went -after - the Clydesdales.  We had practiced dolphin-dives with our coach, Karen, and I was anxious to give it a try however, the lake's water level was really low and we had to gingerly walk to the start. I was concerned that if I tried to dolphin I'd lose my footing coming back up out of the water costing me time. I had talked to Jana about my concerns because of the water level and her suggestion was to make a decision once I got there and then stick with it.  So I just dove in and was off.

The first 1/4 mile was pretty uneventful - considering it was a race - a few feet here and couple of elbows there.... oops there's a leg over there but I felt comfortable.  I tried to find my 'glide' but I think it stayed home.  This course was rectangle shape and as I moved along the long side getting ready to make my turn at the buoy I got a bit hung up between 2 swimmers.  I had a breast stroker on my right - who was swimming as my pace more or less and a 'floater'.  This guy would do a couple of freestyle strokes - then flip and do a couple of backstrokes... awkward but not impossible ...but then he'd float.... arms stretched out like a cross sideways on the course.  I spent the next 300 yards trying to figure out how to get past one or both of them without expending to much energy.  It kept my mind busy.... once I sighted the final buoy I shifted into my second swim gear and made for the transition line.  Big Success - I did not have to flip over to catch my breath during the swim.... a nice improvement.

T1 - I struggled with my transitions at my last race partly because I wasn't focused on one thing, ie. trying to get my wetsuit off and grab my nutrition, so this time I was determined to attack one thing at a time. My wetsuit still slows me down a little but I managed it better this time, I grabbed my nutrition a couple of swigs of diet Coke and put my helmet on and I was ready to head out for my ride. When I put my helmet on it felt a little weird but I figured that I had the elastics in my hair too high - oh well. On my way out of T1 my friend Megan Gurley stopped me (she volunteers and pretty much runs the transition area) "you have your helmet on backwards let me fix it" my response - thanks -no wonder it felt funny.

I headed out on my bike and felt great!  I tried to keep a comfortably hard pace and kept reminding myself that the run for this race was a mile longer so I needed to keep a little more gas in the tank.  It was hard to reel in the adrenaline especially since my swim went much better than the last time. I stayed focused and remembered to take my nutrition and fluids so I'd be good to go on my run.  There were a couple of hills, nothing like Jorge's hills of leg death in Harvard, so I managed them just fine.  I even passed a couple of people who were a couple of waves ahead of me on the hills - that made me feel like all my hard work was paying off.  Before I knew it the ride was over and it was time to dismount and head to transition.

T2 - I did much better on this transition and even managed to run with my bike a little - its a 'learned' skill - I don't look nearly as comfortable doing it as Jana and Anna.  I had practiced putting my sneakers on with them laced and ready to go - so this cut down on my time, grabbed my visor, race belt and my watch this time.  I drank a little more diet coke and I was headed out of transition (the right way) and on my way.

The run for this sprint was 4.4 miles so I headed out a little on the conservative side because I wanted to make sure I had enough at the end.  The first 2 miles were pretty much in the sun and it had gotten pretty warm by the time I headed out.  I was on a roll and just past mile 2 you make a right turn and you're in the shade for the remainder of the run.  I remember thinking sweet - I can pick up the pace a little.  Unfortunately my stomach said not so fast.... I was really nauseous for the remainder of my run - but I refused to give up.  Around mile 3 there was a water stop that was manned by one of the local youth teams and they were having a blast soaking each other and any runner that would let them - so, of course, I obliged, and it felt great!!! Now if my stomach would just decide what it wanted to do - but it didn't.

One of the highlights of my run was seeing Jesse Morrow on the course.  He was volunteering as a course marshall.  It was kind of appropriate too - since it was Jesse who helped convince me that I could ride a bike and even went with me to buy it.  Thanks Jesse!!!

One final turn and I was headed to the finish line - woohoo!!!! Max Performance does a really nice job of making every participant feel like they've achieved something special - thank you.

It was really nice to have some of my E3 team mates there as well and to share their race and victories of the day!

I really like this triathlon thing.... and I'm going to be very sad when I can't take Oz for a ride or swim at Walden.

#E3training; #E3triteam; #SRR; #BeetIt; #MaxPerformance; #triathlon #triathlete

I DID IT!!!! AT 59 I finished my first triathlon!!!

Last week was supposed to be my first tri but as you read that didn't happen because Mother Nature had her own plans.  Beth and Jerome, my partners in tri-crime, were doing the Dam Triathlon (sprint distance) the following weekend.  After researching the tri and the distances, I noticed that the swim was 1/2 mile long.  I have been training for a 1/4 mile swim, but had swum that distance at Walden Pond couple of times.    My coach and I talked about it and decided that I could handle the swim - although she was far more confident than I was.

The week was a quick turn-around, but I made sure that I got my bike hill repeat in on Tuesday night with my #E3 tri teammate, Stephanie.  This went well and I managed to get 3 repeats in, one more than the week before - I'm getting stronger and more confident (faster will come).

This race was unusual in that it was on a Saturday - this foiled my pre-race favorite meal.... pancakes for breakfast the day before - I had to settle for oatmeal - some how not the same.  Friday after work, Beth, Jerome and I headed to Wright's Pond (the resident only beach in Medford) for a quick, short swim.  This was followed by whats becoming a post-swim habit - dinner from Bob's, a local Italian food and sub store.

Race morning was quickly here and the this time Mother Nature didn't disappoint.  The weather was perfect - sunny, dry and warm.  We pack up our gear (you need a lot of 'stuff' for tri's)and head up to Amesbury.

This time I was a little less flustered by the process of picking up my number, getting my body markings and setting up my bike in transition.  The set-up was a little different because you had a marked row but not space so I picked the end spot for a couple of reasons: 1 - hoping it would be easier to find my bike without my glasses after the swim and 2 - the marking on the beside my bike - Run Out and an arrow pointing the way (this will be important later).  I proceeded to set everything up as organized as I could and headed to required meeting with Jerome and Beth (who were set up long before me).

After listening to the rules, getting information about the course and where to enter and depart transition, it was time to get my wet suit on and head to the water.  I did much better getting my wet suit on than I did than I did earlier in the week.... it didn't quite take a village this time.

The swim:
I was really nervous heading to the start line.  Unlike Whaling City this race didn't have a beginners wave so I would be starting with my age group but I remembered Peej and Karen telling me to seed myself at the back.  Also, on the website the race said that different colored swim caps would be available new or nervous swimmers.  During check in I was told that they didn't have any other colors with them but they wrote "NOVICE" on my swim cap and assured me that the people on the stand up paddle boards and in the kayaks would be able to see that and would keep an eye on me.  Ok, this was not reassuring me - there was no way anyone was going to see the writing on the sides of my head since the sides of my head are supposed to be in the water every 3 breathes, if I'm bi-lateral breathing the way I'd practiced.  Swim cap aside - I was ready to start.  The first length of the swim went fairly well and I tried hard to remember to swim MY race, stay within myself and not get caught up in going out too fast - its a bachata not a merengue... that's the mantra that I repeat to myself.

What I didn't mention is that the wave behind me included the Clydesdale's - not a small bunch of guys and some pretty speedy.  About 20 yards from the 1st buoy turn some of the guys started to catch up to me and I was getting clobbered pretty regularly. I have to say that I was pretty pleased with myself for not panicking.  I had done a decent job sighting was on my line for the first turn.... unfortunately so were the guys.... I didn't care - I wasn't swimming any further than I had to and kept my line.  Phew - one turn down - one to go.  By the time I got close to the second turn buoy the wave behind me had pretty much caught up and I was in the middle of them at turn 2.  In swim class we had practiced keeping your line on the turn, sighting and not giving up your 'space' and dammit.... I was NOT going to be pushed off my line - I had worked too hard to get the turn.  Turn 2 done - relief - I flip on my back for a couple of seconds to re-group and then flip back and head for the beach.

When I walked out of the water I felt like I had won a million dollars.  I was so excited and relieved that I walked for a few steps and then remembered - oh crap - this is a race.... more to do!

Transition 1 -
Thank goodness no one had a video going because I couldn't get my wet suit off my ankles.  I used Trislide to make it easier but I had bunched the legs of the wet suit making it harder on myself.  I finally got the right leg out but was still struggling with the left... oops silly ... the timing chip is there.... and off it comes.  I quickly put on my socks, bike shoes, grabbed my Bonker Breaker bar, had a GU washed down with Diet Coke (no Beet-It shots this time) and headed out of transition for my ride.  I knew that I had spent too much time in T1 and was trying to run to the mount line and almost dropped my bike and then when I got to the mount line I lost a few seconds trying to get my foot clipped so I could take off.... Success - I'm off on my bike.

Bike ride:
This course was bit different than the one at Whaling City - it was only one loop and had some decent hills and a couple of sharp right hand turns (not very good at these).  I head off and focus on calming myself down - the first turn was about 1/4 mile from the start.  I get around the first corner, feel calmer and off I go.  It was a pretty course and I could see riders ahead of me - so I had a couple of rabbits.  The ride felt really good and I was feeling strong but I knew there were some hills so I tried to stay closer to the 'comfortable' zone than the "comfortably hard zone".  About 7 miles into the ride I finally reached one of my 'rabbits' and unbelievably enough ready to pass her.  I followed the rules and announced 'on your left' and her response was to move to the left.  I would've had to cross the yellow line to pass so I dropped back - a little discouraged but reviewing in my head the rules again and trying to figure out how I was going to do this.  So I picked up my speed and again announced ' on your left' and her response was the same.  So now I'm a bit pissed off - pull back and wait... and then I see my opportunity - I quickly change to my biggest gears, start picking up my speed, check behind to make sure I don't impede another rider, and BOOM ! - this time I announced 'on your left' when I was almost past her.  Peej - I think this makes me a cycling 'racer'.  I never saw her again.

One last long hill was left - it looked a bit steeper than the Park Ave access road but not as long.  As I start up the hill I can see several riders walking their bikes up the hill - it was at that point that I decided that was not option for me - that I could do this.  Thanks Jorge for the 'easy' hill repeats.  I hunkered down and talked myself up the hill, slowly, but steadily, UP!  Get in your low gear, pull up with your quads, you can do this - you've done it before - I repeated this over and over until I crested the hill.  No time to revel in the accomplishment this is a race.... increase your gears - more butt to kick.

Just as a point of information - the people that I passed never re-passed me (and they were in earlier waves).  I see Greg as I head to the dismount line cheering me on and that gives me a nice little burst of energy and I head into T2 feeling pretty good - hot but good.

Transition 2
This transition took a bit too long for a couple of reasons -
Disadvantage of being a slow swimmer is that by the time I got back from my ride a lot of people had finished not only their rides but their runs as well - this means they are milling around in transition and I have to fight my way around them with my bike.

I get to my gear, helmet off, visor on, drink of Diet Coke to wash down a GU , sneakers on, struggle with laces (damn) and I'm ready for my run

Remember I told you about the "Run Out" on the ground beside my bike - the arrow was pointing in the wrong direction - fortunately Greg was standing there encouraging me and yelled at me that I was going the wrong way.... no wonder there wasn't anyone in my way.  Oh well, I off for my run..

Run -
After gathering myself, I'm trying not to go out to fast (thanks for lending me your watch Greg - although it may have suffered a bit of a shock from the slow pace ;) ).  By the time I make the first corner - I begin to realize that I'm actually going to finish this - I know how to run, I can do this in my sleep - hell I can even walk if I want to.  I don't walk of course and I continue to pass people here and there.

I can see the last short hill that leads to the finish - I can feel myself starting to wheal up with emotion.... and I think to myself - knock it off Ruthanne - you still have to finish and do it strong.  With that I had just enough left in the tank to pick up my pace - now I can see the Finish Line Arch, then Jerome, Beth and Greg.  I did it, I did it, I finished a damn triathlon!!!

As I think about the race and transitons, I have lots of lessons that need work but for now I'm just going to relish my accomplishment.  The first person I told was my daughter Melissa - she thinks I'm crazy but was really happy for me and my coach Patricia Brownell (Peej).

Its amazing what you can accomplish no matter what your age, size, novice or experienced athlete, if you let yourself try and have people around you that support you nothing is impossible.

And - I have a medal

Patricia - again - I can't thank you enough for believing I could do this and getting me to where I could see it too.  And not just finish, but I finished feeling accomplished, proud of myself, and wanting more.