Final Stats

Vacation Sports posted the final times for the triathlon yesterday, and I was thrilled at the results of my first race! I met all of my goals (finishing; not finishing last; and not walking at all during the run portion), and when I came around the final turn towards the finish line, I thought I was going to die of happiness. Six months ago, I couldn't run a mile without stopping. To see hard work truly pay off in concrete results such as a race time is so gratifying.

My overall time was 1:31:19, and I finished:

• 264 out of 476 total competitors (men and women) in the sprint distance. 
• 79 out of 211 women
• 12 out of 23 in my age group (women 20-24)
• AND I had the third best bicycle time in my age group

It was such a great experience, and I can honestly say that every second of the time I was competing was enjoyable! I have already started looking at more triathlons, but one of the bad parts about living in Minnesota is that triathlon season is really only from May to September. At this point I am planning on competing in another sprint triathlon in spring 2011, and I'm going to aim for a specific time. In the meantime, I have to continue working out and maintaining the healthy habits I've picked up along the way. Second triathlon, here I come!

Hugs from the #1 fan!

The Finish Line

 

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!! More details to follow, including final race time and pictures.

The Final Countdown

The triathlon is tomorrow! I was emailed final instructions for checking in and registration along with some mildly complicated directions about each leg of the race. My new fear is that I will somehow go off course and be disqualified.

The past two days have flown by with my number one fan in town. She showed up on Thursday night ready with a cowbell and a big sign. I think I am going to have the loudest cheering section at this triathlon! I woke up early this morning and went on a 50 minute bicycle ride. The lakes were completely covered in fog and the early morning mist made the ride seem vaguely eerie. But my legs felt good, and I think Golden Eagle Jr. is ready for the race tomorrow! I removed my pannier rack last night and my headlight in order to streamline Golden Eagle Jr. in any way possible. I may not have the fanciest bicycle out there, but at least I won't be a complete embarrassment to the sport of cycling.

Today's activities consist of some outdoor yoga at Lake Calhoun for one final big stretch before the race, and then heading over to Lake Phalen to scout out the course. I started packing my race bag last night, and I am SO EXCITED for tomorrow morning.

Training in the Boundary Waters

Traditional triathlon training took a hiatias over the past four days, as I was roughing it out in the Boundary Waters on a camping/portaging trip with some friends. We did some canoeing and portaging, but I had planned on a lot more swimming. Unfortunately, the cold temperature and high winds prevented any of us from jumping into the lakes willingingly!

We got back into Minneapolis around 6 pm, and on the entire 5.5 hour drive back to the city, I went back and forth about whether or not I would work out once I got home. It was a beautiful evening, and eating some sugary road trip treats along the way gave me a second wind after that long drive, so I decided to run the loop around Calhoun. I did the loop in under 30 minutes, which really raised my spirits about Sunday! Lately, I have been a little worried about the racing - fearing that I won't finish or will have to walk during the running portion.

Running around Lake Calhoun has become a bit of a safety blanket. I really enjoy the loop, because it is a perfect 5k (the exact length of the run in the tri) and it is enjoyable, especially in the evening. But I also know exactly when I am halfway around the loop, I know when I'm a quartile mile away, and I'm concerned that not knowing where the end of the race is will detract from my time on Sunday. My number one fan arrives in Minneapolis tomorrow, and I'm hoping we can drive over to St. Paul on Friday or Saturday to check out the course! I think that will relieve some anxiety and get me even more excited about the triathlon on Sunday. So close to race day!!!

Second Open Water Swim

Last night I attempted another open water swim in anticipation of my upcoming triathlon. While I am hesitant to say it went well, I will say that the experience was much better than swimming in Cedar Lake. I drove up to Clear Lake, MN with my friend, Phillip, and after surviving torrential downpours and flash flooding in Maple Grove, we finally it there around 7:30 pm. The section of the lake we were swimming was .4 mile, and I thought once we swam that leg, we would have a leisurely break on the beach and then swim back. Just kidding. Because once you swim out the .4 mile across the lake, there isn't a beach or place to exit. So we just had to turn around and swim back immediately. It felt like we had been swimming forever, and for one of the first times in my life, the thought of drowning briefly crossed my mind. Then Phillip reminded me that we had only been swimming for 17 minutes, and I realized I was being a HUGE baby and started swimming again.

While I was swimming, I tried practicing sighting, which involves turning your head forward to see where you are on the course, as you take a breath. It is definitely a practiced skill, but I was happy to try it out in open water, because going off course means being in the water longer, and I would very much prefer to be in the lake the shortest amount of time as possible. As I was swimming back to the beach on the second leg of the swim, I found myself thinking how great it would be to be a dolphin and have sonar. While this lake was clearer than Cedar Lake, I still could not see anything in front of me while my face was in the water, and I was slightly, read majorly, fearful of swimming directly into a sunken tree or a school of piranhas. I definitely felt more confident when I was swimming beside Phillip, which gives me hope that during the race, I will actually seek comfort in the fact that swimmers are close to me, rather than claustrophobia, which I have been anticipating feeling. Plus, all that splashing from others will drive away any creatures in the lake, right?

OMG Race Info!

Scratch the part about Jennifer Lopez being the best part about my day today. I just got an email with more information about race day! I LOVE information, and I hope you do too, because I'm sharing whether you like it or not and also including my lunatic ramblings: 

RACE DAY SCHEDULE:

6:00 AM- Transition area opens with bike racks.  First come, first served for your placement. What is the best placement to have?! Mental note to do research on placements in transition area to make best strategic decision.

6:15 AM- Registration opens. There, you'll pick up: bib number to pin on for bike & run (we have pins)  velcro strap with timing chip to wear on your left ankle, swim cap provided in the color of your "wave" start group, helmet numbers to place on front lowest brim of bike helmet, and race memento t-shirt. Yes! Race t-shirt that I will wear ALL.THE.TIME. (as long as I get a small and if there are no smalls, then I get an XXL per usual, and give it to my dad). Also, I hope the color of my swim cap is green, because that's my favorite color.

6:15 AM- Body Marking- participants will get their race number marked on their arm and leg by volunteers. Amazing! Temporary tattoos! So many sentences to put exclamation points at the end of!!!!!

7:30 AM- International (Long Course) Race start.  Last year there were 10 starting "waves".  The International Course were the first 3 waves.  Next up were Short course males from youngest to oldest, and then females-with the last wave being the oldest short course females.  Waves were only separated by a couple minutes, so it goes fast, be ready to go.  Actual waves will be set closer to race date. 10 minus 3 equals 7 waves of short course participants. That's me! More people participated in the short course last year - interesting....

8:00 AM- TENTATIVE race start time for Short Course.  Actual time will be set after waves are set the week of the race. YES YES YES! This is when I become a triathlete!!!

11:00 AM-Estimated time of awards.  Medals for top 3 in each age group, or category of Elite, Athena, Clydesdale, Male Team, Female Team, and Coed Team. Also, stick around for your chance to win door prizes! I will be hosting my own awards celebration in the parking lot with bottles of champagne and orange juice. Mimosas, anyone?

One More Reason I am just like Jennifer Lopez

Guess what J-Lo did? She competed in a triathlon for the first time. JUST LIKE ME. This might be old news for some of you celebrity gossip mongers, but finding this out pretty much made my day. You might remember that J-Lo is on my ipod shuffle and her music (Let's Get Loud in particular) really gets me going. I can only imagine that J-Lo also listens to her own music when she works out, so again, the similarities between us are astounding.

For the past couple days I have been taking it easy and trying to get physically better before I resume training. My horse-pill-like antibiotics seem to be working, and I'm feeling a lot better than earlier in the week. I have been using my bicycle commutes on the Greenway as my workouts, and as long as I'm feeling good tomorrow, I'll be back into the swing of things. In the meantime, I'm going to spend the rest of my work day researching J-Lo's training routine and cute hairstyles for the triathlon. 17 days til race day!

One More Setback

This is the story of a girl attempting to train for her inaugural triathlon who continuously fights off sickness to prevail against all odds. At least I'm hoping that will be the story. I recovered from strep throat only to now have tonsillitis, and even though I began a heavy dose of antibiotics today, my throat is still very swollen and painful. I attempted to run 3.5 miles today, but I got to the 1 mile mark and my inner ear was hurting so bad I had to stop. I can't even express how disappointed I am in my body and in myself right now. Instead of pushing through and finishing my run, I came home, and I'm hoping with a lot of sleep tonight and lots of fluids, I will be feeling better enough to be back on schedule tomorrow.

My race is only 20 days away, and I'm starting to get very nervous about how I will perform. I have yet to do another open water swim and my transition workouts have been less than enthusiastic. I have been looking forward and working towards this race since April, and now that I'm less than a month away, I find myself wishing I still had more time. How is that possible?!