Transcript of my real-time updates to my Twitter account. I'll post a post-race recap once I'm better rested...
06:58 AM August 30, 2008 I will be live-blogging the 24 hours of triathlon. Got off to a stressful start - mix-up meeting my team. Here now.
07:16 AM August 30, 2008 My team just informed me i'll basically be swimming all day. I'll do the 1st leg - then rest for the 1st 3 tris then swim swim swim.
08:22 AM August 30, 2008 1st swim done. I'm tired! Maybe i shouldn't have gone out every night this week. Time to recharge
09:28 AM August 30, 2008 Ok - feeling better. Had some coffee .and i'm excited to swim again. We're almost halfway thru the 2nd tri
10:16 AM August 30, 2008 Reading us weekly while i wait - j.lo is training for a tri !
10:50 AM August 30, 2008 Starting to feel tired again – we’re about to start banking swim legs. I'll go every 4th person.
12:44 PM August 30, 2008 Just did 2 swim legs. I’m kinda sucking today but I suppose that’s to be expected given my lack of sleep & training lately.
12:48 PM August 30, 2008 June & Debbie came by & saw me come out of the water on my last swim – that was the highlight. Now I rest for awhile.
02:06 PM August 30, 2008 Just laid down w/ my ipod for a bit. Maybe I need Michael Phelps’ playlist. We’re almost done with swimming – about to start biking.
03:01 PM August 30, 2008 We're currently 9th of 19. I'm eating a cheese & potato chip sandwich on wheat & reading the other boleyn girl
03:47 PM August 30, 2008 The water, which has been choppy all day, has just been closed hours earlier than planned bc it has white caps.
05:29 PM August 30, 2008 I've decided that this is sort of like camping except instead of hiking you go swim bike or run every now & then. Lots of sitting around.
06:04 PM August 30, 2008 I'm up for biking in 2 more legs - in about an hour & 10 minutes. It's very windy - hope it dies down.
08:15 PM August 30, 2008 Just did the bike - it's the split i'm most proud of so far. 42:35 for 11.2 mi. Not bad for windy, dark, & having to reattach my chain.
09:05 PM August 30, 2008 Laying down for a nappy-poo in an suv. They’ll wake me 45 minutes to an hour before my run leg
01:40 AM August 31, 2008 Awake. Rallying to go run soon.
02:51 AM August 31, 2008 Just finished the run - 2.62 mi in 25:37 so 9:45 / mi! Weird rush running at 2:30 am! I'm up again in about an hour & a half.
05:12 AM August 31, 2008 Finished my 2nd run a bit ago - 25:28. I'm done & crawling back into suv. So is the grand finale to my tri season.
06:28 AM August 31, 2008 Waking up. Turns out they want me to do one more swim before we finish. That'll be in about 30 minutes.
07:20 AM August 31, 2008 YES! So glad i did that extra swim. It was 56 seconds faster than my fastest time yesterday & the fastest swim of our team.
08:57 AM August 31, 2008 It's been 24 hours! We finished 18 full triathlons + 1 swim (mine!) & 1 bike. Going home to sleep now.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Seattle Danskin, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bottom of Lake Washington
I'm not sure quite what happened. I started my race as usual -- donning wetsuit, cap, and goggles, poised towards the front, and feeling good. Sally Edwards started us off with a pep talk, we all cheered and high-fived one another until the sound of the air horn started us off. Then the normal chaos at the start of a triathlon ensued as everyone plunges herself face first in the water, furiously stroking, kicking, occasionally on top of one another, occasionally elbowing your neighbor. I'm used to this by now, so I was stroking and elbowing along with everyone else.
I remember the rest in flashes. A kick to the head. My goggles pushed to the side, water rushing in. A gasp for breath, getting only water. Seaweed wrapping itself around my ankle. Panicking suddenly. Realizing that accidents happen to good swimmers all the time, but it couldn't be happening to me. Sinking slowly. Fading to black.
Kidding! Totally kidding. I finished the swim in 14:16 and was 8th out of the water in my age group. Unfortunately, my parents didn't see me after I finished the swim, and I didn't see them either, so they never saw me for the rest of the race. I found my Mom about half an hour after
finishing and she ran up to me and said, "I'm so glad to see you! I thought you were at the bottom of Lake Washington!" I guess she wasn't at all comforted when commenting that they hadn't been able to find me to a fellow spectator who responded, "Oh don't worry. They have divers that can go out and find people."
But as for the rest of the race, it went well! A personal best of 1:26:28, though it feels like I was cheating or something because the whole training at elevation and racing a sea-level definitely worked to my advantage.
I did the race "caveman style" - I didn't have a computer on my bike and I wasn't wearing
a watch, so I had no idea how I was doing. I didn't feel easy, like "Wow, I'm Superwoman!" It felt difficult, but I could tell I was pushing pretty hard. Usually, I try to focus on my own race and not pay too much attention to what others are doing, but on the bike portion I was intent on passing as many people as I could. The bike course was AWESOME by the way! A quick jaunt over Lake Washington to Mercer Island in beautiful, sunny-but-not-too-hot weather. I averaged 19.5 mph. (After all the drama, the bike store was able to rent clipless pedals to me.)
The run was the first time in a while I had run without a watch. It seemed like I was taking forever, even though I could tell I was running pretty fast. I must breathe really heavy when I run, because often during races people in front of me will turn around and
say, "Wow. You go girl!" Friends have told me that I look like I run fast, which I suppose is a good first step to actually running fast. But, I did run pretty fast that day, averaging 8:58 per mile. In the last half mile of the course there was a pretty steep uphill - no fun! But, at least there was a good downhill right after that, leading right into the finish line. When I finished, the announcer called my name and said, "She's all the way from Denver! The Mile High City!"
I thought maybe my family would have heard that and would see me cross the finish, but no such luck. I had given my brother (who came to the race with my uncle and cousin) a list of the times I would reach each critical juncture, but of course he forgot it, so they never found me either. But, since my doing this race was in large part an excuse to have a vacation and a nice mini-family reunion, it's not that big a deal that no one saw me during the actual race. It was a really nice visit all around and a great race! I finished 34th out of 222 in my age group, and 214th of 3714 overall.
I've been exhausted since I got back, so I haven't been training this week, and who knows what I'll be able to manage next week with the DNC (!!!) in town. I only have one more tri left this year . . . 24 Hours of Triathlon! (A) I'm NOT crazy and (B) yes I will write a more detailed post about what the race entails soon.
I remember the rest in flashes. A kick to the head. My goggles pushed to the side, water rushing in. A gasp for breath, getting only water. Seaweed wrapping itself around my ankle. Panicking suddenly. Realizing that accidents happen to good swimmers all the time, but it couldn't be happening to me. Sinking slowly. Fading to black.
Kidding! Totally kidding. I finished the swim in 14:16 and was 8th out of the water in my age group. Unfortunately, my parents didn't see me after I finished the swim, and I didn't see them either, so they never saw me for the rest of the race. I found my Mom about half an hour after
finishing and she ran up to me and said, "I'm so glad to see you! I thought you were at the bottom of Lake Washington!" I guess she wasn't at all comforted when commenting that they hadn't been able to find me to a fellow spectator who responded, "Oh don't worry. They have divers that can go out and find people."But as for the rest of the race, it went well! A personal best of 1:26:28, though it feels like I was cheating or something because the whole training at elevation and racing a sea-level definitely worked to my advantage.
I did the race "caveman style" - I didn't have a computer on my bike and I wasn't wearing
a watch, so I had no idea how I was doing. I didn't feel easy, like "Wow, I'm Superwoman!" It felt difficult, but I could tell I was pushing pretty hard. Usually, I try to focus on my own race and not pay too much attention to what others are doing, but on the bike portion I was intent on passing as many people as I could. The bike course was AWESOME by the way! A quick jaunt over Lake Washington to Mercer Island in beautiful, sunny-but-not-too-hot weather. I averaged 19.5 mph. (After all the drama, the bike store was able to rent clipless pedals to me.)The run was the first time in a while I had run without a watch. It seemed like I was taking forever, even though I could tell I was running pretty fast. I must breathe really heavy when I run, because often during races people in front of me will turn around and
say, "Wow. You go girl!" Friends have told me that I look like I run fast, which I suppose is a good first step to actually running fast. But, I did run pretty fast that day, averaging 8:58 per mile. In the last half mile of the course there was a pretty steep uphill - no fun! But, at least there was a good downhill right after that, leading right into the finish line. When I finished, the announcer called my name and said, "She's all the way from Denver! The Mile High City!"I thought maybe my family would have heard that and would see me cross the finish, but no such luck. I had given my brother (who came to the race with my uncle and cousin) a list of the times I would reach each critical juncture, but of course he forgot it, so they never found me either. But, since my doing this race was in large part an excuse to have a vacation and a nice mini-family reunion, it's not that big a deal that no one saw me during the actual race. It was a really nice visit all around and a great race! I finished 34th out of 222 in my age group, and 214th of 3714 overall.
I've been exhausted since I got back, so I haven't been training this week, and who knows what I'll be able to manage next week with the DNC (!!!) in town. I only have one more tri left this year . . . 24 Hours of Triathlon! (A) I'm NOT crazy and (B) yes I will write a more detailed post about what the race entails soon.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Zen and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance
It turns out that the flat I got walking my bike after Tri for the Cure Sunday before last was just the beginning . . . the first in a series.
I had to replace the actual tire and the innertube for the back wheel, which I did. I rode it to work with no problems, but when I went to get it after work, the back tire, the brand new tire that I just replaced, was flat. I filled it up and it seemed to hold, so I took off, thinking it would hold long enough to get me home. It didn't.
When I fixed that tire, I didn't notice anything that caused the flat. I thought maybe it was just a faulty innertube with a slow leak. The next time I rode it, I rode it to work in the morning, planning to go to a Brick work-out straight from work. Before I left work, I went to add some air to the tires and the valve on the front tire blew off, and completely deflated.
Since I had already replaced two tires that week, I didn't have any extra innertubes. They do have some spare tires in the bike cage at work, so I tried fixing it with one of those. Either the new innertube wasn't the exact right size, or I messed something up in fixing it, but when I was adding air to the new tire -POP! So loud! The innertube completely ruptured with a loud bang reverberating in the parking garage.
The next day, I came to work, armed with new innertubes, which were definitely the right size. As I fixed it again at the end of the day, everyone who came down was like, "Weren't you fixing a flat yesterday too?" This time I was very careful, I fixed the front tire, no explosions, no incidents, and I made it home just fine. I went into my apartment for no more than 30 minutes to change clothes and went back to my bike to ride over to a friends house. The back tire -- the other tire, not the one I just fixed -- was flat.
Though this has been frustrating, there are two silver linings: (a) I've gotten a lot quicker at changing tires and (b) the most recent flat--the slow leak--is the first repeat of circumstances leading to a flat, meaning there is probably something I can do to prevent it from happening again. I dropped off my tire with some friends, and they are going to conduct a full investigation while I'm out of town this weekend.
I'm going out of town this weekend to do a Tri in Seattle. It didn't seem worth hauling my bike all the way there for a 12 mile ride, so I'm opting to rent a bike instead. The rental place said to bring my own pedals so I can use my clip-on shoes. But, after running around this evening, borrowing wrenches, watching videos online on how to remove your bike pedals, and getting a neighbor to help, I finally gave up. Those pedals have been there for 3 years and they are not budging. I know I should have tried to take them off earlier, but I've just about used up all the energy I have for bike maintenance this week. I'll just use the regular pedals on the rented bike with my running shoes, and it hopefully won't slow me down too much.
It's midnight, I'm leaving town tomorrow right after work and I haven't even packed yet. Ugh. Hopefully I've had enough maintenance issues that I'll have a good run of smooth sailing ahead of me. But, given my luck lately, I think the race this weekend will be a victory if I can go the whole way without getting a flat.
I had to replace the actual tire and the innertube for the back wheel, which I did. I rode it to work with no problems, but when I went to get it after work, the back tire, the brand new tire that I just replaced, was flat. I filled it up and it seemed to hold, so I took off, thinking it would hold long enough to get me home. It didn't.
When I fixed that tire, I didn't notice anything that caused the flat. I thought maybe it was just a faulty innertube with a slow leak. The next time I rode it, I rode it to work in the morning, planning to go to a Brick work-out straight from work. Before I left work, I went to add some air to the tires and the valve on the front tire blew off, and completely deflated.
Since I had already replaced two tires that week, I didn't have any extra innertubes. They do have some spare tires in the bike cage at work, so I tried fixing it with one of those. Either the new innertube wasn't the exact right size, or I messed something up in fixing it, but when I was adding air to the new tire -POP! So loud! The innertube completely ruptured with a loud bang reverberating in the parking garage.
The next day, I came to work, armed with new innertubes, which were definitely the right size. As I fixed it again at the end of the day, everyone who came down was like, "Weren't you fixing a flat yesterday too?" This time I was very careful, I fixed the front tire, no explosions, no incidents, and I made it home just fine. I went into my apartment for no more than 30 minutes to change clothes and went back to my bike to ride over to a friends house. The back tire -- the other tire, not the one I just fixed -- was flat.
Though this has been frustrating, there are two silver linings: (a) I've gotten a lot quicker at changing tires and (b) the most recent flat--the slow leak--is the first repeat of circumstances leading to a flat, meaning there is probably something I can do to prevent it from happening again. I dropped off my tire with some friends, and they are going to conduct a full investigation while I'm out of town this weekend.
I'm going out of town this weekend to do a Tri in Seattle. It didn't seem worth hauling my bike all the way there for a 12 mile ride, so I'm opting to rent a bike instead. The rental place said to bring my own pedals so I can use my clip-on shoes. But, after running around this evening, borrowing wrenches, watching videos online on how to remove your bike pedals, and getting a neighbor to help, I finally gave up. Those pedals have been there for 3 years and they are not budging. I know I should have tried to take them off earlier, but I've just about used up all the energy I have for bike maintenance this week. I'll just use the regular pedals on the rented bike with my running shoes, and it hopefully won't slow me down too much.
It's midnight, I'm leaving town tomorrow right after work and I haven't even packed yet. Ugh. Hopefully I've had enough maintenance issues that I'll have a good run of smooth sailing ahead of me. But, given my luck lately, I think the race this weekend will be a victory if I can go the whole way without getting a flat.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Tri For the Cure
I had another race yesterday. Although it was only my second official race this year, it feels like I've been doing nothing but triathlons lately. If you count all the race rehearsals my training group puts on, yesterday's was actually my 6th this summer and my 4th weekend in a row waking up at 4:45 to do a race. All day Saturday, I kept saying to myself, "Really? Another triathlon? Really?" I also went on a long hike on Friday and, since my hiking muscles are a little out of practice, I was still really sore on Sunday morning. I dragged myself out of bed (actually, not the hard part - on top of everything else, I didn't sleep a wink!) and decided to just go and enjoy the race. Tri for the Cure is all women and packed with first-time triathletes, which is really exciting and empowering. A lot of the women in my tri group were doing it as their first tri, so I just tried to focus on enjoying that energy.
Guess what? It was a personal best! I typically finish this distance in around 1:45 and my time yesterday was 1:32:15, which was in the top 15% of my age group! It was actually really good for my confidence - lately I've been feeling like no matter how much I train, I just never get much faster. Maybe it's a little lame to get a boost in confidence by competing against a bunch of beginners, but, hey, I was doing my first tri ever in a similar all-women's race a mere three years ago. If anything, it was another reminder of how far I've come.
I finished the swim in about my usual time - just under 15 minutes. The waves started 4 minutes apart and the women in the wave in front of me were all wearing green caps. I just kept saying in my head, "Catch the green! Catch the green!" Before I even reached the first buoy, I was pretty much surrounded by green caps. (Again, a lot of beginners in the race, so probably a lot of new swimmers). Every time I saw a blue cap (from my wave), I tried to keep up with them, catch them, or pass them. Of my wave, I was 27th out of the water, which isn't bad considering there were 320+ of us. For my next race (another all-women's race with lots of beginners), I'm going to pay close attention to the color of the caps two waves ahead of me and try to catch them too!
I enjoyed the bike a lot. It was a little chaotic because the race wasn't governed under USAT rules, which prohibit drafting and require specific passing procedures. But, the roads were blocked off and was really liberating to not have to worry about cars. There were parts of the course where we were even able to use BOTH lanes! I paid close attention to my cadence and speed and averaged 17.5 mph! (Unfortunately, I got a flat tire while walking my bike back to the car, but during the race I was good to go.)
The run! Ok, it was still really hot, but after the scorching heat of the last two weekends, the 90+ degree weather almost felt like a cool front. I was able to pace myself at 9:24/mile, which may be the fastest I've ever run a 5k! And it pretty much felt like business as usual . . . it was a pushed pace for sure, but definitely doable. I felt so good after crossing the finish line, I almost felt like I could run another 10k. About two hours later, the tiredness and soreness set in!
My next race is the Seattle Danskin in two weeks, which should be a fun one because my family will be there to cheer me on! It should also be interesting to see how cooler weather and lower altitudes affect my race. And this weekend - wait for it - I get to sleep past 5am on Sunday!
Guess what? It was a personal best! I typically finish this distance in around 1:45 and my time yesterday was 1:32:15, which was in the top 15% of my age group! It was actually really good for my confidence - lately I've been feeling like no matter how much I train, I just never get much faster. Maybe it's a little lame to get a boost in confidence by competing against a bunch of beginners, but, hey, I was doing my first tri ever in a similar all-women's race a mere three years ago. If anything, it was another reminder of how far I've come.
I finished the swim in about my usual time - just under 15 minutes. The waves started 4 minutes apart and the women in the wave in front of me were all wearing green caps. I just kept saying in my head, "Catch the green! Catch the green!" Before I even reached the first buoy, I was pretty much surrounded by green caps. (Again, a lot of beginners in the race, so probably a lot of new swimmers). Every time I saw a blue cap (from my wave), I tried to keep up with them, catch them, or pass them. Of my wave, I was 27th out of the water, which isn't bad considering there were 320+ of us. For my next race (another all-women's race with lots of beginners), I'm going to pay close attention to the color of the caps two waves ahead of me and try to catch them too!
I enjoyed the bike a lot. It was a little chaotic because the race wasn't governed under USAT rules, which prohibit drafting and require specific passing procedures. But, the roads were blocked off and was really liberating to not have to worry about cars. There were parts of the course where we were even able to use BOTH lanes! I paid close attention to my cadence and speed and averaged 17.5 mph! (Unfortunately, I got a flat tire while walking my bike back to the car, but during the race I was good to go.)
The run! Ok, it was still really hot, but after the scorching heat of the last two weekends, the 90+ degree weather almost felt like a cool front. I was able to pace myself at 9:24/mile, which may be the fastest I've ever run a 5k! And it pretty much felt like business as usual . . . it was a pushed pace for sure, but definitely doable. I felt so good after crossing the finish line, I almost felt like I could run another 10k. About two hours later, the tiredness and soreness set in!
My next race is the Seattle Danskin in two weeks, which should be a fun one because my family will be there to cheer me on! It should also be interesting to see how cooler weather and lower altitudes affect my race. And this weekend - wait for it - I get to sleep past 5am on Sunday!
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