Less than a month till the Half!

I am now 23 days away from my Ironman 70.3 Syracuse and my training has kicked up.  With that it has been kicking my butt.  Not because I'm not in shape, clearly, but the combination of longer training hours and still working 40 hours becomes exhausting.  I'm so glad I chose not to continue with classes this semester cause that would have been crazy.  

This has been the most demanding training week, and with Syracuse being a very hilly course and living in an area that doesn't have any hills my coach has been really working my legs.  Let me show you what my week has been like so far:

Monday: 

It's always my easy day (seeing as how Sunday I had a 3 hour trainer ride), so all I had to do Monday was swim for 1 hour and 20 minutes and then work 9:30-5:30.  That wasn't too bad.

Tuesday:

Bike for 2 hours, Run for 1 hour, then 15 minutes of TRX (lower body), then work from 11:30-7:30. I was whooped for work.  

Wednesday:

Swim for 1 hour and then a 45 min Tempo run.  Let me tell ya, after my 3 workouts yesterday, the only tempo my legs had were not so tempo haha.  My legs were crazy sore and not wanting to move.  Then I had to work 11:30-7:30.

Thursday: 

Bike for 1 hour and 8 minutes, Run for 35 minutes, and then 15 minutes of TRX (upper body).  Then work from 11:30-7:30.  I was dog tired at this point.  Like zombie status at work.  

My coach joined me for training on Thursday

Today, Friday, all I have is swimming for 30 minutes.  Tomorrow I have the Grandman Triathlon but then I also have a swim workout that evening.  Then, Sunday, 3 hours and 30 minutes of hill repeats on the bike followed by a 35 minute run followed by work.

14 hours and 18 minutes of training for this week.  Next week bumps up to 15 hours.  My last big week before I start tapering.  I know I need to get better about getting to bed at a decent time but I get home at 8 from work most nights, eat dinner, pack my gym bag for the next day, take care of my dog, wash my face, brush my teeth, and by that time its 9 pm.  

I'm not complaining, believe me I'm not.  I'm just admitting that this is tough.  I knew it would be. I love that I'm not finding any of this easy otherwise it wouldnt be worth it in the end.  I mean honestly, do you ever feel truly accomplished after finishing something if it took little to no effort?  What was the purpose in the first place?  What can you say you overcame to reach your goal?  

My Coach and I finally had a heart to heart, while sweating our butts off pedaling on spin bikes, about what I want to do with triathlon.  I told her Pro.  Without hesitation, I mean she could barely get her full question out of asking me if I wanted to go pro before I practically shouted yes.  How well I do at Syracuse followed by Louisville will determine that.  She did tell me that it will take years, which I fully anticipated.  Most professional triathletes are in their late 20's or 30's.  I'm only 22.  So we need to be careful as to how much I train because after so many hours of training, there comes a point where you will just no longer be able to improve.  But I feel with her as my Coach and with my heart and passion for this that it is extremely possible. 

It's going to be a long, tough journey.  I'm going to be tested mentally, physically, emotionally, etc.  And I'm ready, I'm ready to embrace the suck because I know crossing the finish line down the road at Kona I will be able to smile, and cry, and laugh because of everything I put in to get to that point.  But it will all truly start with Syracuse.  To think a glimpse of my future will happen in just over 20 days gives me goosebumps.   

12

There's a movie called "Where the Heart Is".  In the movie a young woman is cursed by the number 5, anytime that number shows up in her life- its bad news.  First seeing the movie you'd think that its a joke, there's no way.  I even did too until I started connecting a few numbers.  

When I was born, for some unknown reason a doctor thought I had some incurable disease and was going to die shortly after being born, so my Mom got discharged and I was left at the hospital for tests and to be watched for 12 days, until finally they realized that I was going to be fine.  On my birthday, so 12 months, my Mom lit my candle and blonde me touched it and burnt my finger.  You must be thinking so far that I'm just being paranoid, but it gets more interesting.

Several years later, I got really sick one day.  And I stayed really sick for a couple days, till finally my Mom took me to a hospital off 12th St in Ocala.  They made us wait forever, thinking I just had a silly stomach bug.  12 hours later I was on a hospital bed being put to sleep to take out my appendix.  Well, while on the table I WOKE UP.  Thankfully, they got me back under, finished the surgery with 12 stitches.  Later that year, my Grandfather past away on the 12th of June.  

When I was 12, my Dad and I went into a store and I went to the toy section while he went to whatever areas of the store he needed too.  There weren't many people in the store at all.  I was walking around when a young man shoved me up against a wall and sexually assaulted me.  I was in such shock as to what happened I didn't know what to do, and unfortunately this wasn't the first time I'd been attacked this way.  

The end of my freshman year in high school, I was training to be an exercise jockey for a summer job.  It was the 12th when I was bucked off a horse so badly I blacked out and woke up in the hospital with a broken clavicle on my right side and a ligament in my left ankle was torn.  Recovery time was 12 weeks.

As if high school isn't stressful enough for a young teenage girl, lets really throw a twist.  On March 12th, my Father (who's birthday was December [12] 12th)  had lost his battle to cancer.  Now are you starting to see a pattern? 

Now time for the 12th grade.  Summer leading up to senior year I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Disease.  I had two ovarian cysts, one on each ovary.  One was 7 cm in diameter and the other got to 5 cm (12 cm total).  Doctors had told me when they first found them that had they gotten to 4 cm, they'd surgically removed them.  That never happened, they determined that the cysts grew so big that to surgically remove them would cause too much scar tissue to the ovaries so I was a live ticking bomb waiting for them to rupture.  That hurt like a mother effer.  

I loved school, I would never want to skip and was always excited for it.  One day after school, my Mom brought me dinner while I stayed late for club stuff.  I got a chicken sandwich from Hardies, I wasn't paying attention while eating it until halfway through I stopped and looked at the sandwich and saw nothing but pink.  My sandwich was still raw.  I ran it to my Mom who was in a booster meeting and her jaw dropped and told me not to take another bite.  Sure enough, that night I was throwing up non stop, went to the ER and this chick got Salmonella poisoning.  I got to eat nothing but jello for 12 days.  Which sounded exciting and cool at first, but I was over it at day 2.  So my senior year was really off to an interesting start.  Then, as I was getting ready for the biggest competition of my high school career, I got Mono.  I was sick as a dog and just miserable.  At this point I was just done with sickness and school and ready to go to college.  I was done with the 12th grade.

I was terrified for the year 2012. I swore up and down I was going to die/get hit by a bus. Just something terrible was going to happen. I knew it was.  Months went by and nothing too terrible had happened.  I thought, had my bad luck streak with "12" finally be over?  Until 12/1/12.  That day I got the phone call that my Step Dad had died.  I had planned on leaving that day after work to go visit him cause I knew he was sick.  But I was too late.  I was a mess.  I left work immediately and drove straight to Ocala so I could say good bye before they took his body.  As if that car ride wasn't hard enough, I got a phone call from my Doctor.  They'd found cancer cells in my last screening.  A few days later the doc went in and removed the parts of my uterus that had the cancer spots on it.  Thankfully he got it all out, but because of this when down the road I do decide to have children I will most likely be high risk and have complications with carrying the child.

It's been a tough journey for me,  hard to believe with how much I smile, right?  That's because regardless of all the crap I've been through, and believe me there is a lot more than this, I MADE and FORCED each thing to make me stronger.  I didn't turn to drugs/alcohol or go psycho.  I just become stronger and better.  I still am very cautious with anything that deals with the number 12.  I honestly avoid it as much as I can.

Too many people blame unfortunate situations to their foolish behavior.  I have no pitty for those people.  Those people who try to find reasons and excuses as to why they couldn't stop eating for years, drink themselves to sleep, did drugs, committed crimes, etc. make me so upset.  Because I've dealt with some horrible stuff, again way more than what I listed above and for those of you who truly know me, you know what I'm talking about.  It hasn't been easy, I've worked for everything I have- I've never been given anything.  So stop looking for an excuse or reason to not be better, instead go look in the mirror, see that person breathing, looking back at you? Fight for that person.  Be better.  Don't let hard times bring you down, I promise they can make you stronger.  Be tough and be brave.

When I got bucked off the horse I was unable to attend a Leadership Camp for JROTC, so my friends took a paper version of me.

The last time I saw my Dad before he passed away.

Senior year at the National Drill Competition. I was sick with Mono for this event.

First time back on a horse after my accident

Recent photo of me.  I'm not smiling just for the picture but because I've come a long way and have overcome a lot.  

Progress thus far

It's been nearly 4 years since I completed my first triathlon.  I remember every step of it, from my "training" , to purchasing my first pair of tri shorts, and the race itself.  I was only doing the triathlon via a dare from a friend.  I had never even ran in a 5k race before, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into.  

For "training" back then, I would swim a few laps at the pool at USF then go for maybe a mile run.  Or I would ride my mountain bike with a friend through Flatwoods Park.  That was it.  Man, did I suffer for it race day.  As for getting ready, Tampa has an awesome Tri shop called "The Ironman Store".  It's pretty nifty.  Full bike shop, swim section, and running shoes/apparel.  It was sweet.  I tried on probably 10 different pairs of tri shorts trying to figure out which were "cutest" haha.  I also got a race belt, sunglasses, new goggles, and a tri check list.  I was really excited now. 

Suncoast Triathlon 2010

Come race day, I set up my transition as I saw from photos on line.  I was chill, not warming up, and just hanging out.  Finally, we all headed out to the water.  I was in the last wave.  The swim wasn't too bad, that's always been an area I've felt very comfortable in.  I spent way too long in transition, I think I even sat down.  I then took off on my mountain bike, well took off as much as you can on a mountain bike.  Oh, I also used a camel back to stay hydrated.  That was a long bike ride.  But I was having fun.  Then came the run, I passed maybe two people.  The run was awful, I was in so much pain for lack of training that I walked most of it.  But then sure enough, I turned a corner and there was the finish line.  My goal was 2 hours for my first tri (even though it was a sprint) and I finished it in 1:46:19. I was excited, even though I was last in my age group and probably for almost the entire race.  

My step father and myself at my high school graduation

I didn't race in a tri or anything for that matter for a while.  My, now ex, spouse had become my priority for he was military going through lots of training.  But then one day my whole world changed.  My step Father (who I truly considered my Dad just as much as my biological Father) had died.  He was my biggest fan.  He took care of me as if I was his own daughter.  I was so upset, borderline depressed, and just lost.  I didn't know what to do.  So instead of just sitting in my house crying, I decided to start running.  So I started running again and made it a goal to race at least once each month that year.  All having to do with the number 12 (I'll explain in the next blog).  My race for July I decided to make a triathlon.  I chose one in Huntsville, AL so that I could also get away and visit a good friend of mine.  

Huntsville Sprint Triathlon 2013

For Huntsville, I had a hybrid bike, knew slightly what to expect, and was really excited.  The swim took place in a pool which SUCKED.  It was crowded and people were cheating and being annoying.  The bike wasn't as terrible as my first, still slow but not as bad.  Then my run, I jogged all of it which was my goal.  Slowly, yes, but I never walked.  I crossed the finish line and it was like being born again.  The feeling I had was beyond words.  I knew then that triathlon was my sport.  So, two months later I do the most outrageous thing possible.  I sign up for an Ironman. 

So here I am.  I've completed three tri's so far this season and I feel good.  I feel great.  I've come a long way since my first tri and I have results below to prove it.  With my half Ironman in 29 days I'm anxious, excited, nervous, and terrified for my race.  But its one more step I'm taking towards this journey of becoming an Ironman, and hopefully down the road, a professional triathlete.  

Results from my Sprint Tri's so far: 

Tri:                        Swim:        T1:       Bike:              MPH:          T2:      Run:               Total:

Suncoast  10/11    13:21        5:22     49:24             12.1            1:12     37:01             1:46:19

Hunstville 08/13    9:08          2:06     28:11             14.9            0:49     30:49             1:11:02

PB           05/14    4:19          2:22     29:14             20.5            0:45     26:19             1:02:59                  

Pensacola Beach Triathlon

Pensacola Beach Triathlon 05/17/2014

Location: Pensacola Beach, FL

Class: F 20-24

Results: AG 2/7, Female 17/67, Overall 66/190 Time: 1:02:59

Local Knowledge and Conditions:
Race started out in the 60's with light wind.  For the bike and run the sun was out, temps mid 70's, with a strong head wind going west for the bike.  Flat course.

Pre-Race Strategy and Warm Up:

I got there as soon as transition opened so I could get done ASAP to be able to help out my friends who were there racing as well. I was really excited and getting pumped for this race.  So much so that I pretty much danced throughout the transition area and was just saying hi to everyone.  Once my station was set up, I did whatever I could to help my team mates and friends get ready for the race, even pumping two of their bike tires.  I jokingly told them if my arms were too sore for my swim I'd kick their butts.  

Race Break Down:

I'm on the left, dolphin dive up to shore

Swim: 

The swim took place in the sound of Pensacola Beach (Quietwater Beach).  The water was very shallow, I think the "deepest" point was 4 feet.  Which was awesome for first timers.  The swim was only 300 yards.  The water was chilly at first as we all waited but wasn't too bad at all.  They had us start in the water, in 4 waves.  This time the women were in the 2nd wave, right after elites.  They had us go around a dock and then it was right back up to shore but the water got so shallow so soon that probably 1/4 of the swim I spent dolphin diving.  

The swim is where I feel very comfortable at.  For my wave I was one of the first few to get out of the water.  It was an easy, and quick swim.  I swam the 300 yards in 4:19 (1:27/100yd pace).  

T-1: 

For this transition, we had to run up the beach, cross a four lane road, then run into the parking lot where the transition area was.  So T1 took longer than normal, thankfully though at this point there were maybe only a few other people in T1 at the time so it wasn't crowded.  Otherwise, it went smooth and pretty quickly I felt, except when I tried to put my shoes on the wrong feet.  Time 2:22

Bike:

Getting ready to dismount

The bike course was extremely flat and only 10 miles.  We had a tail wind going out, headwind coming back.  It was a simple out and back course.  Traffic was well taken care of I felt, especially compared to my last race.  This time, I had my aero hydration system which I only had water in my bottle for this race but it was nice and easy to sip on that water the few times I did.  

When I got on the bike I was in the top 10 females and stayed in the top 10 females for majority, if not, all of the bike.  This is another area I feel strong in.  Took me 29:14 (20.5 mph avg).  

T-2:

I got off the bike very smoothly and got in and out pretty quickly.  No problems or hick ups, except for the fact that I put my shoes on so fast that they weren't exactly on my feet in a normal way (No, I didn't mix the feet up), just half my shoe was still tucked in the shoe but I got them on fast!  Time 45 seconds.

Run:

The run course as well, was very flat and an out back.  There was a water/gatorade station at mile 1 (which also doubled for mile 2).  It was clearly marked and smooth.  The finish line of the run took a sharp right turn, right at the end.  As I was nearing the finish line, I all of a sudden heard really loud run steps and man did my turbo come on to make sure that the person behind didn't pass me at the finish, and sure enough HE didn't.  

The run is NOT my strongest area, I know this, I understand I need to work on my run and trust me I am, I have, and it shows via my results.  But still, I'm not the fastest out there.  The run is where I went from being in the top 10 females down to 16th.  But I am improving, my last race my average pace was 9:25 and for this race it was 8:47!  I didn't feel terrible, I'm just not a natural runner.  I have to bust my butt to be able to even run decent.  But its all good.  My 5k run took me 26:19.  

Lessons Learned:

I noticed I waste time in T2 putting on my race number belt and visor while in transition, where as next time and for all future races I need to just grab those items and start running, then put those items on while I'm running instead of standing in transition wasting time doing it.  

Future Goals:  Bring my run time down even more.  

Something funny that Happened: I HATE sprint race distances.  With a firey death passion but I race them to work on my transitions and to strengthen my anaerobic skills.  I'm just a long distance athlete, I'll take an olympic distance race over a sprint any day.  So, as I was coming around one of the last corners of the run with less then a 1/10 of a mile left, there was a friend of mine cheering me on and I yelled back to her "Shoot me!" haha.  

I did take 2nd place, the girl who took first place beat me by 24 seconds and it was all in the run, she passed me right at the last stretch and I tried my best to keep with her but I was about to vomit everywhere and decided to save my vomit for the finish line, which I did.

I would like to thank the following for help with my success in this race: 

Running Wild, Gulf Coast Cycle and Tri, Anytime Fitness Downtown/Pace, Pearl Izumi, TYR, Newton Running, Tifosi, and Moving Comfort.

Pre-Race Voodoo

Everyone has their own routine.  Their own "thing" the day before a race to prep.  Eat a particular meal, do yoga, or just simply make sure all your stuff is packed and ready to go.  I have a few things I make sure to do before a race, some serious and some are just goofy things I do.

Days leading up the race, I first make sure everything on my bike is good.  Not just for my sake, but for my bike mechanics.  It would be bad if something were to go wrong during my ride for both my mechanic and myself.  It would be careless on my behalf and just look bad on him which I would never want because he takes such good care of me.  So I'll make sure, if its been a while, to get a pre race tune up and just have everything looked at.  I'll also wipe down my bike to make sure she is extra sexy for the race.

Also, within the few days before the race, I wont shave my legs.  Gross and funny, but I feel that if I wait a couple days and just do it race morning that my legs will somehow be extra smooth.  Is there any scientific proof to it? I'm 99% sure theres not but in my mind it works and I've been doing it for every race I've ever done.  

Few days prior I just go through all my stuff and make sure I have everything I need for race day.  Do I have my sunscreen chapstick? Do I have enough body glide? Nutrition? Is my outfit clean? Which socks do I want? Are my goggles fogging up? Are my nails (finger and toes) trimmed down? Also try to make sure to get some of your best sleep in the prior days of the race.  Sleep the night before the race won't affect you as much as how much you get two days or more prior.

Now the day before a race.  If I'm working or I know I'm going to be standing/very active, I will wear compression socks to help keep my legs from getting fatigued/sore.  I use 110% Flat Out Sox (see on right).  These compression sox are amazing.  I've worn them before every race the day before and/or to bed that night.  Never have I woke up for a race with my legs feeling sore or restless after wearing these.  

I also try to make sure to stay away from any negativity as much as possible.  More than usual at least.  I will try to keep myself energetic and extremely happy, for example, as I'm typing this up I have fun, up beat music to keep my pumped and dancing.  I try not to stress myself out about anything and just enjoy the day and think about my race strategy.

Night before the race.  I always, always, always, eat Chicken Alfredo pasta for pre race dinner.  I don't eat many carbs in my diet throughout the week/training so to me this is like giving a kid ice cream and cake for dinner.  Not really from any particular place, although I do have a favorite towards Olive Gardens, but sometimes I'll just make my own.  After dinner, I then make my ghost.  No, I don't stand under a white sheet and start saying boo.....ok maybe if theres a white sheet laying around I do do that , but thats besides the point.  I will layout what I'm going to be wearing that next morning.  I will layout my top, sports bra, tri shorts, sweat pants, jacket/hoodie (keep your body warm prior to race, being cold will waste energy), my flip flops, and my chip for the race.  Next to that I will have my products I will need to use layed out next to it, on top of my bag, so that I make sure to put it in my bag if I need to take it with me such as lotion, chapstick, sunscreen, body glide, deodorant, etc.  

Race morning. First thing I do is shower.  The reason I shower that morning and not the night before is because I have really long, thick hair.  So trying to get my hair to do what I want for a race (which normally consists of a braided bun) is impossible when its dry.  So right after my shower, I get my hair done, which thanks to my military days doesn't take me but maybe a few minutes now.  Post shower, I put on all my lubricants/oils/etc.  I'll start with sunscreen and honestly ( I know I'm bad for this) I only put sunscreen on my tattoos, but in my defense I do have Native American Indian in me so I honestly dont burn easily at all.  Then I put my body glide on.  Where? I put it all around my under arms, all over my chest where my sports bra will be, my inner thighs, and all over my feet.  Then deodorant and my lotion all over my body, I will never race/run if my body doesn't have lotion, again one of my superstitions I guess where I feel if my skin has lotion on it and is all smooth I will go faster? Once the body is all lubed up, I'll finally get my outfit on.  Then take any nutrition/food.  Pre race I do peanut butter sandwich or a chocolate chip waffle, my vitamins, and my endurolytes (sodium/electrolyte tablet) and drink only water.  I will then make sure everything is packed up and ready to go.  Get the car loaded and take off jamming out to super upbeat fun music.  

That's just what I do.  I know I'm a dork with some things but its just what I do.  Everyone has their own thing.  

Music you'll find me listening to get pumped as of today:

Wild Ones- Flo Rida

Dust - Eli Young Band

I'm Ready- AJR

Anything from Ke$ha

Ready Set Roll- Chase Rice

Wild Wild Love- Pit Bull

Shake Senora - Pit Bull

Hall of Fame- The Script

I gotta Feeling -Black Eyed Peas

Give it 2 U- Robin Thicke

Blurred Lines- Robin Thicke

Anything from Nicki Minaj

Shake it- The Lacs

Wylin - The Lacs

For the first time tri'ers

For my readers who don't know, I work at a specialty running store.  It's the best job and I love what I do.  With the tri seasons underway, I've been getting a lot of people who are just getting into triathlons all asking very similar questions.  So I've decided to answer some questions via this post as well as offer some tips and advice haven't completed several triathlons. 

First of all, setting up your transition area (this was my 2nd sprint tri from last year):

1. Have a towel laid down just to the side of your bike.  I recommend using a towel with a bright color or pattern to help better recognize your station while you're in your daze of trying to be fast and get to your gear. 

2. Only lay out what you will absolutely need.  (My bag was removed from the area after the photo)

3.  Place your helmet on your bike handle bars so you don't forget it and it's not on the towel in your way of laying down anything.

4.  For those not using clip in shoes, simply just lay your shoes towards the front of the towel.  If you are wearing socks, place each sock in each shoe. If you do have clip ins, then place that pair in the front and your running shoes in the back.

5. Place nutrition/accessories towards the back of the towel. 

6. Have your tire pressure checked before racking your bike, before getting into the transition area.

7. Have your water bottle set on the bike filled and ready.  

Tips: Have a head lamp/flashlight with you while setting up.  Sometimes transition area will only be open while its still dark outside and you don't want to rely on the chance that lighting will be bright enough.  Stay focused on your area, don't worry about what others are doing or how they have their transition set up. You don't want to change your plan at last minute with anything.  

For the swim, wear two swim caps.  The first one as  base, then put your goggles on top of this one, then put on the swim cap that has been provided to you for the race.  Why? If while you're swimming and you get smacked across the face (which yes, does happen) and your goggles get knocked off your face you don't want to go the rest of the swim without them.  By placing them under the swim cap they might get moved off your eyes but you wont lose them.  

If you plan on using nutrition on the bike, such as GU, tape (using 

electrical tape-it wont mess up the paint on the bike) to attach the 

tab of the packet onto the bike so that you can easily rip off and open the packet.  (see photo on right) Make sure not to liter during the bike, this can cause for a penalty.  If you take nutrition and have a wrapper, stick it in your tri shorts/sports bra/top.  

Note: Your bib is not required to be worn during the bike, only during the run.  To make your T2 (transition 2, bike to run) faster and easier, have your bib number on a race number belt.  That way all you have to do is clip the belt on to you and you have your number on you.  You will receive a penalty for not having your bib on you during the run.

Note: Do not draft!  You must keep 3 bike lengths from cyclists in front of you.  When you are passing someone, you must pass them within 15 seconds.  If someone passes you, you must exit the draft zone, even if it means braking.  If you fail to abide by these rules, you will be given a penalty.

Transition 2: 

TAKE OFF YOUR HELMET! Sounds like a silly reminder, but its true.  You will see people in such a rush that they forget to take off their helmet.  Also make sure to rack your bike on the correct spot, you don't want to frustrate another athlete by having your stuff on their space.

Note: No headphones/music devices are allowed during triathlons.  

Most importantly, especially if this is your first triathlon, have fun!  And don't be scared to ask a fellow triathlete a question about the race if you're unclear of something.  For the most part, we are all friendly and love that you're out there with us.  

Also here is a pre-race checklist!

Swim:

-Goggles

-Swim Caps

-Watch

-Wetsuit/Tri Suit

Bike:

-Bike

-Helmet

-Emergency Kit (Co2 cartridge, tube, basic tire changing tools)

-Air Pump

-Nutrition

-Clip in shoes

-Sunglasses

Run:

-Race Number belt

-Bib

-Nutrition 

-Socks

-Running Shoes

Other: 

-Sun Screen

-Body Glide

-Flashlight

-Change of clothes

-Gallon of water (to shower with if theres not showers available)

-2 Towels (1 for transition, 1 for cleaning yourself after)

-First Aid Kit (granted their will be medical staff provided, better safe than sorry)

Mullet Man Triathlon

Mullet Man Triathlon April 26, 2012

Location: Perdido Key, FL

Class: F 20-24

Results: AG 2/4 Female 9/39 Overall 69/156 Time 1:53:41 

Local Knowledge and Conditions:

Race conditions started out with a temp of 55 degrees at the time of the swim, cloudy, winds at 6 mph and humidity at 88%.By the bike the temp went to the upper 50's with wind at 10mph and maintained about that for the run as well.  

Pre-Race Strategy & Warm Up: Before the race, I set up my transition, which for this race there was no numerical/assigned transition set up.  You just picked wherever you wanted to be.  I chose to be in the center at the end nearest the bike/run out.  

I was cold from the lower temps and the wind so I went ahead and put my wetsuit on, just didn't put the top portion all the way on and threw a sweatshirt on.  I also found the restroom and went as many times as I could but made sure to stop taking in fluids within 30 minutes of the race.  

Race break down: 

Swim 

The swim took place in the Gulf of Mexico.  Waves/currents weren't too rough at all, with the overcast there wasn't much visibility in the water.  They started us out in 4 waves, I was in the 4th with the women.  I was still slightly cold from the outside temps while waiting for our start, so I did as my coach advised me to. I peed in my wetsuit.  Sure enough I was feeling nice and warm.  I started out towards the front of the group for the swim.  I ran out and as soon as the water hit my knees I dove in and began swimming.  

T1-

While getting out of the water and running towards transition I heard my coach yell "Take off your wetsuit!" which is a good thing she did cause I completely was not taking it off while running which I should have been.  They had kiddy pools near transition to get the sand off our feet but seeing as how the transition area was in a dirt parking lot it was counter productive.  I was able to finish taking my wetsuit much faster than my first race with it.  Coming out of transition was slightly dangerous.  

There were cops stopping traffic since the course was on a main road but it was still 

very cluttered.  

Bike

The roads weren't fully blocked off for the bike portion so we were having to share the road with ongoing traffic which was slightly scary and desirable.  It was mostly flat with the exception of the overpass they had us go over which going out wasn't that bad but coming back the wind made it pretty tough coming up and slightly terrifying coming down with how strong the wind was and how fast we were going (pushed 30 mph going down hill). Elevation gain of 129 ft, max elevation of 109 ft. Other than that, it was a simple out and back course.

T2- 

I was in and out at a decent time.  I dealt with normal transition situations, like other peoples stuff was thrown on to mine.  Annoying but whatever, we are racing I get it.  The only thing coming out of this transition again was traffic.  I was paused cause I hadn't known if traffic was stopped by cops or if I was about to play frogger.  Thankfully I made it out safely, and my coach yelled to me that there was a girl a minute ahead of me so it was time to push it.

Run

The run course was another out and back, very flat course.  There was a water station at each mile (for 1-3) but there was only one person manning the water station so if you were in a group you pretty much had to go get the water on your own.  I was really in need of water due to not drinking enough during the bike, I could feel myself being dehydrated and my face was like sand paper with all the salt on it.  My legs had the normal jello feeling and oddly enough my first mile was my fastest even though I felt like a turtle walking through peanut butter.  Since unable to take any nutrition during the bike I took a gu as soon as I started running which seemed like a good idea at the time but later found out it wasn't.  I threw up the water and gu I had consumed at mile 3 and as soon as I crossed the finish line I began dry heaving since I had nothing else in my stomach.  I knew I pushed it.

Lessons Learned: 

Don't forget to put body glide or some type of lubricant around your neck when wearing a wet suit.  I had very bad chaffing on my neck.  For my bike after this race, I immediately got a new water bottle system put on my bike to make getting fluids much easier during the bike.  Instead of classic water bottles I had an aero containter with straw put in between my aero bars.  

Future Goals : Continue to work on faster transitions, taking of my wet suit more efficiently, and just become overall faster for next time.

Something funny that happened: Throwing up on myself (granted it was just water and gu) at mile 3 but continue my run without letting it phase me, after all I had already peed on myself, whats a little spit up?

I did take 2nd place for my age group.  The age group awards were nifty ceramic red solo cups (appropriate considering the race took place at a bar).