Racing

Not that this post will be very interesting to most of you, but since I'm trying to update on the last year's happenings I thought I would just jot this down.

I didn't do many races last year due to the knee injury. I wanted to let it heal, but sitting still and doing absolutely nothing wasn't going to happen. I did do a lot of nothing yet managed to get in a few races.

After Goofy I did Psycho Wyco in mid-February. It's a 10, 20 or 30 miles trail run. It's crazy! Mud, Mud, Mud. That race pretty much messed up the knee completely and I only did the 10 mile loop. I didn't run another race until mid-March and that was a little 4 mile race. It didn't go well, but I did it. The next race was mid-April. My knee felt great for this 4 mile race, but I had been sick the whole week before and my time was crap.

I kept my runs to around 3/4 miles for the most part and threw in a 6 mile or two through the summer in order to get the knee to heal up. The only triathlon I did was in July and it was canceled mid-way through due to weather. This was the second year in a row that the race was canceled due to weather. I was a little miffed because my bike was going so well and I could have easily finished the run before the really bad weather hit.

By late August I was running around 8 miles and trying to bump it up. The knee was feeling good, but I still wore the brace on the longer runs. I paced the Kansas City Half Marathon again this year. I helped people come in at 2:15 or better. I also ROCKED a 5k in October. I had my best time to date. It truly surprised me. I finished out the year with a half marathon right before Thanksgiving. It was OK, not great. I was still under 2 hours, but not as far under as I would have liked.

Not much racing so far this year. I have a 5 mile race coming up this weekend, a half marathon April 2nd, a 4 mile race later in April, I'm pacing the Lincoln Half Marathon May 1 then I'm doing a half ironman mid-June. I may throw in a couple of 5k's in May if I feel like it.

Sign, Sign, Everywhere there Signs

Along the route, I think around mile 11, there were funny/inspirational signs. I saw one on Saturday that I thought was too funny, so Sunday when I was armed with my camera, I took a shot of it......

Goofy Race Pictures

This post is ALL pictures!!! All of these were taken on Sunday (the full marathon). It just proves how well I was feeling and running that day. I never did stand in line for a pic, but I stopped several times and still ran a 4:50. WOW! If I hadn't stopped and I had actually gotten to train fully, I wonder what I could have run. We'll see in 2013.


C.O.L.D. in the morning


This billboard was about mile 12, maybe


Of course I had to stop and strike a pose, VOGUE!

On Dasher, On Blitzen, On April


Rafiki, my man!

My Jungle Love Mickey

Dopey, Me and Baloo

Mickey and Me at the finish line. I even felt good enough to stop before I crossed the line. WHAT!!?? You would not have seen that in 2007.

Picking up my gear after the race

Daisy and Me. All three medals. Actually borrowed the Duck medal for the pic because I left mine in the hotel room.

Part 2 - Race Update

OK, so "taking a bit" is well over a year. I'll sum up the race quickly since it's been over a year and I'm not sure I remember the details.

It was COLD. Saturday was 28 with a wind chill of 13. There was rain, sleet, snow and it was overcast. Yes, this was Florida!! Many people complained, but it was a heat wave for me. It was a -2 when I left KC for FL. I had a few fellow KC Crazies doing Goofy with me. Well, we were all running the same race. I did start the race with Scott and Mike (friend of Scott) and we stayed together for about half of the half marathon. Overall the half went well. Not happy with my time, but I think that not running it in 2:10/2:15 was best for the next day. I didn't start the race with my brace on, but around mile 10 I felt a twinge, so I stopped to slip it up.

I didnt do much the rest of that day. Well, I didn't really do anything. SAD! The sun did come out a little later, so I attempted a swim in the heated pool. BAD IDEA! The wind was blowing which made it way too cold even in the heated pool. I sat in my hotel room texting, updating Facebook, checking emails and talking on the phone. I had pizza for dinner and headed to bed pretty early.

Sunday proved to be a tad warmer. Still chilly, but the sun was out and the wind wasn't as strong. In fact, I was a little warm in what I was wearing. I started off the race with Scott & Mike again, but, again, only ran with them until mile 6. I did have to stop at mile 2½ to pull up the brace, but didn't have any other issues with the knee the rest of the race. Thank goodness for cortisone shots! I ROCKED this Goofy marathon. I felt great the whole race. I was the one passing people like they were standing still in the last 10k. I'm usually the one getting passed. It was a great feeling.

As I mentioned in the last post (a year ago) I Goofy PR'd by 24 minutes. That's HUGE! I guess sitting around all day Saturday instead of hitting Animal Kingdom (like I did in 2007) was the best medicine.

I'm ready for 2013 when I go back again. I'll post pictures from the race tomorrow, but here are the medals.

Mickey congratulating me


Up close of the medals

2010 was the 5th anniversary for Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge and the medal was HUGE and so awesome!

Part 1 - Race Update

This is my finishers certificate. The times to go by are the net times. My half marathon time was not what I wanted. I wish I had run it about 10 minutes faster. My marathon time was quite a bit faster than I anticipated given then knee injury. Both times were faster than what I ran in 2007. The half was 3 minutes faster and the full was 24 minutes faster. SO, it was a Goofy PR all around which is always a good thing. Part 2 may take a bit to post. With the wedding getting closer I seem to have less and less free time.

More pix from IMKS 70.3

This pic really shows my nervousness and Tim's calmness


This was within the first 2 miles of the run portion

This I call the progressive pictoral

Here I am showing off my muskallee's, OH, and looking like a monkey as well

I honestly don't even remember this pic, but based on the sign behind me it was either coming off the first loop or the second loop into the finish

More Race Pix

On the bike.
My normal look of gasping for air after having climbed a hill.


The finish.
You can't tell, but I was soaked. My shoes were squishing.
I've got to stop looking at my watch when I cross the finish line.

Some Race Pix

Hopefully there will be more I can share next week, but some friends took these and I thought I would share.

Orca & the fish getting ready for the swim.


Heading out for a leisurely 56 mile ride chowing on PB&J.

The Big Race Recap

Maybe taking full advantage of taper week worked or maybe the training or lack there of in the last three weeks or maybe it was the weather (great), but I did pretty well for my first half ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run). My first goal was to finish and have fun. My second goal was to finish under 7 hours. My third goal was to finish at 6:30:00. I accomplished ALL of those goals and the pictures that Dan (multisport dude) took of me should prove that I had a great time. Really, you should see some of the faces I made. LOL! It was a really fun time with lots of people cheering you on during the run and the organizers did a great job. I really thought the run would be awful since it was two loops, but it was neat to see all the people that I knew who were also doing the race and be able to cheer them on as they did the same for me. There were several people I knew not doing the race who were positioned along the run that cheered for me as well. It really was a lot of fun. Don't get me wrong, the last 4 miles of the run were tough and I'm feeling the pain, but I'm totally doing another.

I had underlying goals as well for each discipline.

I wanted my swim to be between 40-45 minutes. DONE. This really surprised me. I didn't start my watch, so I didn't know how I did in the swim until all the results were posted. It seemed really slow to me. It was brutal out there. I'm a pretty good spotter, but others ARE NOT! This one gal just kept pissing me off. She was always swimming into me. I totally beat her out of the water, but it was very irritating. AND, AND, guys are brutal! I'm surprised I don't have a black eye today. I got walloped. Then there was this one douche bag who came from the outside and b-lined it across everyone to get on the inside. ARG!!!! I turned it on after I made the turn back to the swim finish and was passing people like crazy. Well, maybe not crazy, but I was passing people. Also, I only swam 32 seconds per 100 meters slower than Tim. He usually swims 1 minute faster per 100 meters than me.

I wanted my bike to be between 3:30:00-3:45:00. TOTALLY ROCKED IT! The bike felt really good and easy (did I really just type that?). I'm glad I had ridden it three times before because it really helped knowing the course that well. I also rocked the aid stations. Picture this...people standing along side the rode and you're riding by on your bike at whatever mph's and you must grab a water/Gatorade bottle out of these people's hand and keep moving. WHAT! It's not like running where you can stop and casually drink your drink. NO, you must keep moving. YIKES! I grabbed my two bottles like I'd been doing it for years. BTW, NEVER practiced it and Tim thought I should. Really, the bike was awesome and when I figured out that I was going to finish SO ahead of my "best" case I was really excited. AND, Tim didn't pass me until mile 27. Then again he started 32 minutes after me, but I was pretty excited that I had gotten so far before he passed. He's a pretty fast cyclist. He average 5.35 mph faster than me.

I wanted my run to be between 2:20:00-2:30:00. BEAT IT! The sun had come out when there were 6 miles left in my bike, so I thought the run would just bite since there wasn't a lot of shade on the run course. Actually it wasn't too bad. Imagine you're 4 hours into a race and you must run past the finish line 7 times before you can actually head to the finish line. WTF! I thought the run would be beyond miserable, but I thought I would be feeling a lot worse than I was at the start of the run. Didn't even notice the finish line. REALLY! Because the run was a big loop out and back type course you got to see so many people and friends it was very easy to keep distracted. I knew I was ahead of my best case goal, so I just wanted to take the run easy and have a good time. I knew I would fall within my time goal, so why not. I felt pretty good on the run as well and was having a good time. Tim only passed me once, but we crossed paths a few times and each time he was very encouraging. He really hadn't been too much during my training, so that made me happy.

It was a good day! Here are me stats.

TOTAL TIME
6:24:29
TOTAL SWIM
1.2 mi. (41:50) 2:12/100meters
TOTAL BIKE
56 mi. (3:14:57) 17.24 mph
TOTAL RUN
13.1 mi. (2:19:39) 10:39/mile
T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE
4:16
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN
3:47
AGE GROUP PLACE
49/75
OVERALL PLACE
1177/1924

What did I learn?
*I need to run in a hat even though I overheat when I do, but my lips and nose are fried. They didn't hurt during the race at all, but afterwards I could tell my lips had gotten burned. It wasn't until Monday that I could feel my nose.
*I can run faster. I need to do more brick workouts (that's running after long bike rides).
*I actually should train a little harder.
*I can finish a half ironman!!!
*It's addicting! I'm signing up for my 2nd & 3rd this week. 2nd will be Sept 19 in Oklahoma City and the 3rd will be this same race next year.
*The biggest realization............I AM INSANE!!!!

An additional little perk is that there were 5 world class triathletes running this race as well. Chrissie Wellington, Tim DeBoom, Pip Taylor, Luke Bell, Timothy O'Donnell. I was starting my run as Chrissie was winning the race for the women. I was a mere 2 hrs 7 min behind her. : ) Thankfully she was gracious enough to sign the back of my medal since I won't be having dinner with her tonight. Chrissie got sick and needs to rest up for her race next weekend. BOO! Maybe next time.

Workout Recap & Preview

TAPER WEEK (And I totally took advantage BIG TIME!)

Mon - Nada.
Tue - Was going to ride, but I couldn't get the pedals off my bike to put them on the old bike in order to ride on the trainer as it was pouring rain all day. So, NADA.
Wed - Got up early and swam 2000 meters. Was NOT happy about my time. Last week was better.
Thu - Rode for 34 minutes then ran for 22 minutes.
Fri - Nada again. Cleaned house instead.
Sat - Tim and I went to Lawrence for packet pick up and to drop off our bikes for the race then had dinner and checked into our hotel.
Sun - THE BIG DAY! I'll write more later, but the good news is I'm here to tell about it. : )

The Big Race

is this coming Sunday. Wish me luck.

Swimming like I'm surfing

Biking up a storm

and running like the wind

Race Results

None of my pictures from the race are all that good, so I give you me crossing the finish line at the 5k I did this past Saturday.

And...the stats:

Distance 5K
Chip Time 27:12
Overall Place 145 / 1155
Gender Place 31 / 722
Division Place 3 / 72
Pace 8:45

What these stats don't say is that the person who placed 1st in my age group placed 1st overall, so she is actually removed from the age group results when it comes to awards. SOOOO, I placed second in my age group. The part that I find extremely funny is that I was 6 minutes 16 seconds behind the overall female winner. That's a lifetime in running yet I still got 2nd in my age group. I was only 37 seconds behind the gal who gets first in my age group. Now, that's more like it. LOL!

The Big Race is coming this Sunday. I'm a little nervous and trying not to think about it since I usually just want to puke when I do.

Workout Recap & Preview

***Corrected Version***

Mon - Took the day off after the race
Tue - Swam 2000 meters in 42 minutes. Not great, but I float into the wall and linger since I don't do flip turns. I can take off a couple of minutes for that. Looking good for 70.3.
Wed - Ran 3 @ 5a.
Thu - Rode 18 miles & ran 2.
Fri -
Sat - Ran a 5k in the AM.
Sun - Swam laps

The week that I should start to taper I step it up a notch. HUM! Can we say cram? Really, I think I'm ready for the race. My goal is to finish and I will certainly do that. I don't really have a time goal, so whatever I do it in will be great.

Look Here

Here are a few pictures from the race this past Sunday.

I always look horrible in my running pix. So distressed. And, looking like I'm really just walking. My pace was 8:43/mile for a 5k after a 750 meter swim and a 12.4 mile bike without an inhaler (crushed it on the bike portion), so I guess I shouldn't complain.


Me on the podium showing off my winnings. A plaque, a medal, a g.c. to GGRS and a really nice NorthFace tote. Once again, I look like a dork. Nice glasses, hey? Can we say...BUG EYES?


Up close on the medal and the plaque.

Workout Recap & Preview

Mon - Rode 41 miles of the half ironman course. This course is getting a little easier. I was happy with my mph this time.
Tue -
Wed - Ran 4 @ 5a
Thu - Ran 3 @ 5a
Fri - No swimming. Not enough time. Had a dinner with friends (Lynn, Tracy & Julie) at 6p then I had to boogie to meet Tim at a b-day party for one of his friends.
Sat - Swam 1250 meters (1100 in laps then 6 x 50 meter intervals). The rest of the day was cleaning like a mad woman/man and running errands to prepare for Sunday's get together.
Sun - I did a half Olympic distance tri. That's how they advertised it. It was a 750 meter swim, 12.4 mile bike, 3.1 mile run. Basically your run of the mill sprint triathlon. There were 187 finishers in the sprint of which 131 were men and 56 were women. I placed 1st in my age group, 15th out of women and 70th overall and my time was +10 minutes faster than I had anticipated, so I was pretty happy about it. I rocked on the bike (17.9mph average), my swim was exactly what I expected, but my run was steady. I had lost my inhaler on the bike at mile 3, so I didn't want to run too fast and then get into trouble. Tim and I hosted the post race party for our triathlon club. It was a good time and I think everyone that came had a good time. Tim's not big on hosting parties, but he even asked if we could host another.

Workout Recap & Preview

Mon - Ran 5 @5a
Tue - Biked 15
Wed - Ran 4 @ 5a
Thu - Ran 3 @ 5a
Fri - OFF TO THE LAKE
Sat - Ran 3 with Tim, Audrey & Lulu. Swam for 30 minutes. Not sure how far I swam since we have no way of checking distance, but I'm guessing 1200-1500 meters. The water was COLD. I wore my ski wetsuit which was OK. Not ideal for swimming distance, but it worked. My arms were more tired than they usually are, but I'm OK with that. I'll look like a weirdo at the race this coming Sunday, but I don't care.
Sun - Rainy at the lake, so we didn't do much. We actually came back a day early.

This coming week will be easy since I have a race on Sunday.

Workout Recap & Preview

LATE

Mon - 4 @ 5a
Tue -
Wed - 5 @ 5a
Thu - 3 @ 5a
Fri -
Sat - I ran 13.75 miles. 3.25 of them to where my running group was meeting and 2.5 of them back home. I cut off on the way back with the group to head straight home. I biked 36 miles with my friends Jean & Stacie later in the afternoon. It was so windy. There wasn't a direction we were headed that we weren't fighting the wind. I would have biked farther, but the wind was awful and I had already run against that morning. I was B.E.A.T! The girls and I had a sleep over, so we went out to the local pub after napping and running some errands. Stacie is a dude magnet there. I don't think we've ever left that place where she hasn't gotten or given digits.
Sun - Jean, Stacie and I went out to Heritage Park to cheer on our multisport pals and a few others while they participated in a du or a tri. My form of exercise for they day was to mow the lawn.

I was really bad again this past week with biking & swimming. Let's face it, my swimming is pretty non existent. I need to be better this coming week. I WILL be getting a lot of swimming and running in this holiday weekend. I can't ride at the lake, but I can get in at least 3 x 3-6 mile runs (or more if I want) and I'm going to swim 45-60 minutes at a time each day (more if I can) and then I'll do a 20-30 mile bike ride Monday when I get back. Well, that is the plan at least. I'm also hoping to sleep in while at the lake, but Little Miss likes to get up at the butt-a$$ crack of dawn every day since her momma does it 3x/week on purpose.

Workout Recap & Preview

***Edited for correctness**

Mon - Ran 5 @ 5a.
Tue -
Wed - Ran 4 @ 5a.
Thu - Ran 3 @ 5a.
Fri - OFF
Sat - Rode the half ironman course (56 miles) with Trish & Jamie then ran 3.5 miles. It was a GIRLS ONLY training day. Good times. The course seemed easier this time even though there was a really strong wind.
Sun -

The next few weeks are rough. I'll be riding another long distance this weekend with a run afterwards. Memorial Day weekend is the following weekend, so I won't be getting in any riding on the weekend however; I can get a lot of swimming and some running in. The next weekend (30th-31st) there is an Olympic distance tri that I really should do so I can get the open water swim practice before the race. June 6th is a 5k that I plan on doing plus I'll need to get in a long ride. Those are the only weekends I have left before my race and I'm starting to panic that I haven't trained enough.

Workout Recap & Preview

Mon - It was raining pretty heavy at 5a, so no running in the AM. Was going to run in the PM, but got home and it was sprinkling. Well, needless to say, I was a lazy cow and didn't do anything. I just think two weekends in a row of cycling and running has done me in. How am I EVER going to do this race?
Tue - Cycled 18 miles.
Wed - 5 @ 5a.
Thu - 3 @ 5a.
Fri -
Sat - Cycled 44 miles and ran 4. WOW! That took it out of me. I need to eat more. The ride was a good ride despite the fact that the "oragnized" ride it was supposed to be turned out to be ONLY the super fast riders. There are supposed to be three different speed groups and a sweeper. NOPE! None of that. Was pretty ticked off about that by the time I got home. I don't mind riding by myself, but when the ride is advertised as something that it obviously isn't, that ticks me off. Thankfully I knew the route we were riding or I would have been even more pissed off.
Sun -

Pretty lazy this week. I need to stop being lazy. I also need to get more swimming in . I know, I keep saying that.

Workout Recap & Preview

Mon - Nothing. SORE from the bike riding and the race.
Tue - Nothing. Still a little sore, but chose to have dinner with my mom instead.
Wed - 5 @ 5a. Cycled 17.5 miles.
Thu - 3 @ 5a. Wedding dress shopping with friends.
Fri - Nothing.
Sat - Cycled 22 miles.
Sun - Race. Trolley Run. 4 miles. PR's (best time). Ran a 31:22 which 1 minute 6 seconds faster than I ran it last year.

A mildly productive week, but not as productive as I had planned. Well, maybe this week will be better.