I can't believe I forgot to mention this in my last post.
My Dad did not race. My mom called us at 6:15 on Sunday morning and said he had been throwing up all night at the hotel. They think he got food poisoning the night before.
My parents met us at the race so I could give him his birthday gifts, then they headed straight back to Illinois.
So technically, yes, I beat him. But not in the way I wanted. (Although, I'd like to think that my time was fast enough that I would have beat him anyway.)
First DNS for my Dad.
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
9.21.2010
Fishers Area Sprint Triathlon Race Report
I don't think I've ever been so excited to write a race report.
Let's just say... I totally rocked this one. I PRed the bike and the run, and beat my "A" goal time by 3 minutes! (If you click on that link, you'll see my post from Friday where I mocked the impossibility of last year's 8:56 pace. Well... I beat that this year with a 8:53 pace!)
Just like last year, I won 3rd place in my age group. The difference being that last year, there were only 3 people in my age group. This year there were 14!
I have never placed in my age group without it being by default. I'm really excited about that.
The sad news? I never in a million years thought I would place... so Ryan and I didn't even wait around for the awards ceremony. So I missed my chance to collect my medal and stand on the 3-tiered podium.
I can just picture it now. They're calling my name, people are clapping, all while Ryan and I are down the street stuffing our faces with Wendy's.
Oh well. Apparently I need to not underestimate myself at my next race.
Now on to the photos!
The Fishers race is rather small. Transition was small, but there was plenty of room... only about 7 or 8 bikes per rack.
It was a pool swim, so they send the swimmers off from fastest to slowest. Ryan and I sat in the bleachers and waited my turn.
It was 10 lanes in a 50 meter pool, so the swimmers snaked up and down each lane to total 500 meters.
Waiting in line for my turn...
They sent the swimmers off with 3 seconds in between each. I'm next...
And I'm off...
The swim was decent. I passed a few people, and a few people passed me. One problem I had this year that I didn't experience last year was crowding. It's often hard to pass someone in only 50 meters, so swimmers seemed to collect in bunches at the end of each lane, trying to fight for position.
Once, I was in the process of passing someone, when a girl came up from behind and passed between us. She crowded me so much that I had to slow down and let her go. That's just plain rude!
Soon, the swim was over, and I was out of the pool...
Transition was close (maybe 40 meters between the pool entrance and my bike rack).
I should have dried my feet off better, but I was trying to transition as quickly as possible. I recall my socks being extremely squishy during the bike.
Here we go...
Off on the bike...
5 miles later, I looped past transition...
It's rare to get a photo of myself actually biking instead of just braking...
The bike went really well. It was cool and the wind was calm. The course is extremely flat and easy. There are lots of beginners at this race, so I passed a lot of people.
As I passed one man, I hollered, "on your left!"
He responded, "yeah, story of my day. When do I get to say that?!"
That made me laugh. I remember when I first started triathlons and feeling that exact same way.
A short 10 miles later, and I was done with the bike.
Back into transition...
Aiming for another quick transition, I went off on the run with my race belt and Garmin in hand. I need to practice putting this stuff on while I run, because I struggled a little...
All set and ready for my run...
The run was great. Yes, that's a rare word to describe a run. The course is a slight uphill for the first half, followed by a slight downhill for the second half. I was keeping a close eye on my Garmin, and I was thrilled with my speedy pace.
I was tired, but I kept telling myself, "this is a race. You're meant to be tired!"
3 miles later, I was nearing the finish line...
Done!
I didn't know my official time yet, but I was pretty sure I had beat last year's time. I was thrilled with how I did.
Swim 11:05
T1 1:55
Bike 32:26 (18.5 mph)
T2 1:50
Run 26:40 (8:53 pace)
Total 1:13:58
Hands down, my best race ever. It was a great way to end the 2010 triathlon season. I am completely shocked with how fast my run was. I would say it's a new 5K PR for me, but I'm pretty sure the run course was short the final .1 mile.
Thanks everyone for your support. I'll be back later this week with an update on my weight loss. And next week... Ryan and I are headed to Florida! Yay!
Let's just say... I totally rocked this one. I PRed the bike and the run, and beat my "A" goal time by 3 minutes! (If you click on that link, you'll see my post from Friday where I mocked the impossibility of last year's 8:56 pace. Well... I beat that this year with a 8:53 pace!)
Just like last year, I won 3rd place in my age group. The difference being that last year, there were only 3 people in my age group. This year there were 14!
I have never placed in my age group without it being by default. I'm really excited about that.
The sad news? I never in a million years thought I would place... so Ryan and I didn't even wait around for the awards ceremony. So I missed my chance to collect my medal and stand on the 3-tiered podium.
I can just picture it now. They're calling my name, people are clapping, all while Ryan and I are down the street stuffing our faces with Wendy's.
Oh well. Apparently I need to not underestimate myself at my next race.
Now on to the photos!
The Fishers race is rather small. Transition was small, but there was plenty of room... only about 7 or 8 bikes per rack.
It was a pool swim, so they send the swimmers off from fastest to slowest. Ryan and I sat in the bleachers and waited my turn.
It was 10 lanes in a 50 meter pool, so the swimmers snaked up and down each lane to total 500 meters.
Waiting in line for my turn...
They sent the swimmers off with 3 seconds in between each. I'm next...
And I'm off...
The swim was decent. I passed a few people, and a few people passed me. One problem I had this year that I didn't experience last year was crowding. It's often hard to pass someone in only 50 meters, so swimmers seemed to collect in bunches at the end of each lane, trying to fight for position.
Once, I was in the process of passing someone, when a girl came up from behind and passed between us. She crowded me so much that I had to slow down and let her go. That's just plain rude!
Soon, the swim was over, and I was out of the pool...
Transition was close (maybe 40 meters between the pool entrance and my bike rack).
I should have dried my feet off better, but I was trying to transition as quickly as possible. I recall my socks being extremely squishy during the bike.
Here we go...
Off on the bike...
5 miles later, I looped past transition...
It's rare to get a photo of myself actually biking instead of just braking...
The bike went really well. It was cool and the wind was calm. The course is extremely flat and easy. There are lots of beginners at this race, so I passed a lot of people.
As I passed one man, I hollered, "on your left!"
He responded, "yeah, story of my day. When do I get to say that?!"
That made me laugh. I remember when I first started triathlons and feeling that exact same way.
A short 10 miles later, and I was done with the bike.
Back into transition...
Aiming for another quick transition, I went off on the run with my race belt and Garmin in hand. I need to practice putting this stuff on while I run, because I struggled a little...
All set and ready for my run...
The run was great. Yes, that's a rare word to describe a run. The course is a slight uphill for the first half, followed by a slight downhill for the second half. I was keeping a close eye on my Garmin, and I was thrilled with my speedy pace.
I was tired, but I kept telling myself, "this is a race. You're meant to be tired!"
3 miles later, I was nearing the finish line...
Done!
I didn't know my official time yet, but I was pretty sure I had beat last year's time. I was thrilled with how I did.
Swim 11:05
T1 1:55
Bike 32:26 (18.5 mph)
T2 1:50
Run 26:40 (8:53 pace)
Total 1:13:58
Hands down, my best race ever. It was a great way to end the 2010 triathlon season. I am completely shocked with how fast my run was. I would say it's a new 5K PR for me, but I'm pretty sure the run course was short the final .1 mile.
Thanks everyone for your support. I'll be back later this week with an update on my weight loss. And next week... Ryan and I are headed to Florida! Yay!
9.17.2010
Goals for Fishers
On Sunday, I'll be competing in the Fishers Area Sprint Triathlon. It will be my first time running a race two years in a row.
This is exciting because I can compare my times from last year to this year and, theoretically, will be able to see just how far I've come with my training.
That being said... I'm not sure I can beat last year's times.
The 2009 stats:
2:00 pace for the swim (2:00 per 100 yards)
16.7 mph average on the bike
8:56 mile average for the run
Let me repeat myself. I averaged under nine minute miles on the run. What?! I'm not too convinced that someone didn't slip me some speed or something during transition. Kelly running that fast is absolutely unheard of.
2009: Nearing the finish line at record speed
That is hands down the fastest run I've ever managed during a triathlon. That time even beats my best 5K time.
Impossible. Plus, the weather was perfect last year. It was cool, cloudy, and started misting lightly during the run. Ahhhhhh.....
So my only chance at beating last year's speedy time of 1:18:40 is if I do spectacular and PR both the swim and bike.
No pressure or anything!
Here are my goals broken down...
A - 1:17 (Beating last year's PR by 1 minute)
B - 1:20 (My realistic goal)
C - 1:27 (If I'm in pain or it's hot and I'm just trying to finish)
And as always, my side-goal is to beat my Dad. Maybe this time...
This is exciting because I can compare my times from last year to this year and, theoretically, will be able to see just how far I've come with my training.
That being said... I'm not sure I can beat last year's times.
The 2009 stats:
2:00 pace for the swim (2:00 per 100 yards)
16.7 mph average on the bike
8:56 mile average for the run
Let me repeat myself. I averaged under nine minute miles on the run. What?! I'm not too convinced that someone didn't slip me some speed or something during transition. Kelly running that fast is absolutely unheard of.
2009: Nearing the finish line at record speedThat is hands down the fastest run I've ever managed during a triathlon. That time even beats my best 5K time.
Impossible. Plus, the weather was perfect last year. It was cool, cloudy, and started misting lightly during the run. Ahhhhhh.....
So my only chance at beating last year's speedy time of 1:18:40 is if I do spectacular and PR both the swim and bike.
No pressure or anything!
Here are my goals broken down...
A - 1:17 (Beating last year's PR by 1 minute)
B - 1:20 (My realistic goal)
C - 1:27 (If I'm in pain or it's hot and I'm just trying to finish)
And as always, my side-goal is to beat my Dad. Maybe this time...
7.21.2010
Muncie Endurathon Sprint Triathlon Race Report
The weekend before last, my Dad and I competed in the Muncie Endurathon. It's name derives from the fact that it has a half-iron, 2 duathlons, aqua bike, and sprint tri all rolled into one event. The sprint distance is actually one of the newer events, so the field was pretty small (192 triathletes compared to the 663 doing the half-iron).
So on with the race report!
We woke up at 4am and had to drive almost 2 hours to the race, so we were all a little tired.
The race took place in and around a reservoir in central Indiana.
The first race I've ever been to where I had my own spot on the bike rack!
All set up and ready to go. I always use my pink striped towel for races because it's the only way I can spot my bike as I come running into transition.
This was my Dad and I's 3rd race together. My 6th triathlon ever.
Ryan came along as official photographer, dog-watcher, cheerleader, and gear check.
Maggie came along as official race mascot and to distract people from watching the race with her cuteness.
It was such a small race that all the women doing the sprint were in the same swim heat. I'm in the middle (in the black bathing suit and gray sports bra) putting on my goggles...
And we're off!
The swim course was in an "L" shape, which helped lessen the usual congestion at the turn-around.
Story: About 1/3 of the way into my swim, I look up to site the buoy, and there is a man swimming in front of me. But he wasn't swimming with the crowd. He was swimming perpendicular to the crowd. Not only that, but he didn't seem as if he was in any rush. He was just FLOATING on his back! Right as he floated in front of me, I gave him a good shove. He jumped up, looked around in shock and confusion. I yelled, "watch out!" (what? It was the only thing I could think of at the moment), and slithered around him.
He was wearing a blue swim cap (the color for men doing the sprint triathlon), so I'm not sure if he got lost maybe? But he didn't seem to be in any rush to find his way to the finish line.
A little while later, I was finally done with the swim. It was an unusually short swim (only 400 meters), but I hadn't done as much swimming this year as I should have, so I felt a bit winded as I climbed onto shore.
I found it extremely hard to concentrate during transition. My bike rack was positioned right next to a gigantic speaker blasting pop music. It was so loud that I could feel my brain rattling. I couldn't think straight long enough to figure out what on earth I was doing.
Eventually, I got all my stuff together and headed out on the bike.
The bike wasn't too bad. It had hills, but for every torturous uphill, it had an awesomely steep downhill. This was the first race with my aerobars, and I felt like my speed was really good.
In second transition, the speaker was still blasting. "SHUT UP!" I yelled at it...
I headed off for my run. I had a hard time getting my Garmin on my wrist, so I fidgeted with it as I left transition...
Once I got my Garmin on, I realized I had forgotten to turn off my heart rate alarm. It was set to beep if I went over 155 bpm. Ha! I was over that within 30 seconds of my run. The beeping was annoying (to others more than myself, I'm sure), so I had to flip through the menus mid-run to get the alarm turned off.
The run went pretty well. I loved having my Garmin with me. I always knew exactly how far I had run, how far I had left to go, and how fast I was going. It was extremely helpful in keeping me under 11 minute miles for the majority of the run.
The run course was an out-and-back, so when I passed my Dad (he was on his way in), I timed myself to see how far behind him I was (his swim wave started 5 minutes before me). When I passed the same spot again, it was 8 minutes later. Ouch. So much for beating him this race.
When I neared the finish line, Ryan, my mom, Maggie, and my Dad were all there cheering for me. There's my Dad on the right...
Done!
Post-race was good. They had water immediately when you crossed the finish line. They also gave you a ticket for free lunch (catered by Noodles & Co... yummm!), and a free ice cream (from Baskin Robbins). All that along with the regular post-race snacks, drinks, and even a finishers plaque!
My Dad and I compared our times. He was the obvious winner...
So here are my stats...
Swim 11:15 (115/192)
T1 2:47
Bike 44:54 (149/192)
T2 2:10
Run 33:29 (161/192)
Overall 1:34:32
149/192 Overall
51/85 Females
12/19 AG (25-29)
How do I feel about my race? Well... I was slightly disappointed the bike wasn't faster. It said I had a 16.4 mph average. I really thought it was over 17 (which would have been a PR). But I was so close that I know if I just had a slightly flatter course, I could have done it.
The swim was good. It's obviously my best leg (at least compared to everyone else). I definitely could have gone through transition faster (stupid speaker!). If I had cut a minute off each transition, I would have been neck-and-neck with my Dad.
Side note: One of my coworkers did this triathlon also. It was her first one ever, and she was in my age group. She beat me by 40 seconds. Being beat by a newbie is a hurt that only hardcore training can take away. But don't worry, I was perfectly nice and congratulated her when I saw her at work on Monday.
What's next? The Chicago Triathlon!!! My first olympic-distance triathlon, with a whopping 1 mile swim!
Kill me now.
So on with the race report!
We woke up at 4am and had to drive almost 2 hours to the race, so we were all a little tired.
The race took place in and around a reservoir in central Indiana.
The first race I've ever been to where I had my own spot on the bike rack!
All set up and ready to go. I always use my pink striped towel for races because it's the only way I can spot my bike as I come running into transition.
This was my Dad and I's 3rd race together. My 6th triathlon ever.
Ryan came along as official photographer, dog-watcher, cheerleader, and gear check.
Maggie came along as official race mascot and to distract people from watching the race with her cuteness.
It was such a small race that all the women doing the sprint were in the same swim heat. I'm in the middle (in the black bathing suit and gray sports bra) putting on my goggles...
And we're off!
The swim course was in an "L" shape, which helped lessen the usual congestion at the turn-around.
Story: About 1/3 of the way into my swim, I look up to site the buoy, and there is a man swimming in front of me. But he wasn't swimming with the crowd. He was swimming perpendicular to the crowd. Not only that, but he didn't seem as if he was in any rush. He was just FLOATING on his back! Right as he floated in front of me, I gave him a good shove. He jumped up, looked around in shock and confusion. I yelled, "watch out!" (what? It was the only thing I could think of at the moment), and slithered around him.
He was wearing a blue swim cap (the color for men doing the sprint triathlon), so I'm not sure if he got lost maybe? But he didn't seem to be in any rush to find his way to the finish line.
A little while later, I was finally done with the swim. It was an unusually short swim (only 400 meters), but I hadn't done as much swimming this year as I should have, so I felt a bit winded as I climbed onto shore.
I found it extremely hard to concentrate during transition. My bike rack was positioned right next to a gigantic speaker blasting pop music. It was so loud that I could feel my brain rattling. I couldn't think straight long enough to figure out what on earth I was doing.
Eventually, I got all my stuff together and headed out on the bike.
The bike wasn't too bad. It had hills, but for every torturous uphill, it had an awesomely steep downhill. This was the first race with my aerobars, and I felt like my speed was really good.
In second transition, the speaker was still blasting. "SHUT UP!" I yelled at it...
I headed off for my run. I had a hard time getting my Garmin on my wrist, so I fidgeted with it as I left transition...
Once I got my Garmin on, I realized I had forgotten to turn off my heart rate alarm. It was set to beep if I went over 155 bpm. Ha! I was over that within 30 seconds of my run. The beeping was annoying (to others more than myself, I'm sure), so I had to flip through the menus mid-run to get the alarm turned off.
The run went pretty well. I loved having my Garmin with me. I always knew exactly how far I had run, how far I had left to go, and how fast I was going. It was extremely helpful in keeping me under 11 minute miles for the majority of the run.
The run course was an out-and-back, so when I passed my Dad (he was on his way in), I timed myself to see how far behind him I was (his swim wave started 5 minutes before me). When I passed the same spot again, it was 8 minutes later. Ouch. So much for beating him this race.
When I neared the finish line, Ryan, my mom, Maggie, and my Dad were all there cheering for me. There's my Dad on the right...
Done!
Post-race was good. They had water immediately when you crossed the finish line. They also gave you a ticket for free lunch (catered by Noodles & Co... yummm!), and a free ice cream (from Baskin Robbins). All that along with the regular post-race snacks, drinks, and even a finishers plaque!
My Dad and I compared our times. He was the obvious winner...
So here are my stats...
Swim 11:15 (115/192)
T1 2:47
Bike 44:54 (149/192)
T2 2:10
Run 33:29 (161/192)
Overall 1:34:32
149/192 Overall
51/85 Females
12/19 AG (25-29)
How do I feel about my race? Well... I was slightly disappointed the bike wasn't faster. It said I had a 16.4 mph average. I really thought it was over 17 (which would have been a PR). But I was so close that I know if I just had a slightly flatter course, I could have done it.
The swim was good. It's obviously my best leg (at least compared to everyone else). I definitely could have gone through transition faster (stupid speaker!). If I had cut a minute off each transition, I would have been neck-and-neck with my Dad.
Side note: One of my coworkers did this triathlon also. It was her first one ever, and she was in my age group. She beat me by 40 seconds. Being beat by a newbie is a hurt that only hardcore training can take away. But don't worry, I was perfectly nice and congratulated her when I saw her at work on Monday.
What's next? The Chicago Triathlon!!! My first olympic-distance triathlon, with a whopping 1 mile swim!
Kill me now.
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