Barb's Race Report

In case you were wondering I didn’t die attempting my 1st 70.3. You know me I just like to wait until the moment is right before unleashing my epic race report. Ok ok it’s not really that epic, but exactly one month ago I finished my 1st 70.3 and I figure now is the perfect time to share :)


Swim- 55:22

One of my besties, Kendra, & amazing source of support!

The water was the perfect temp and I wasn’t feeling anxious at all. In fact I had no time to feel anxious. There were several waves before ours that included individuals doing the full Vineman and different variations of the aquabike. They told us to get in the water and before I knew it we were off. I stuck to the side and towards the back since I know I am not exactly Michael Phelps. I just cruised along and was counting buoys, which I like to do because it distracts me. However, this was a bad move since it was an out and back course and there seemed to be a million buoys. I gave up counting and was just enjoying the water. We swam in the Russian River, which is very shallow and you can basically stand up if you must. Luckily for me I am short, so I didn’t have any issues with my arms touching the bottom. Once I hit the turn around there was a nice current helping me, so I used it to my advantage and pushed a bit harder. I was getting passed by what seemed to be everyone, but I just focused on the shore and the finish area. Before I knew it I was done and was back on dry land!

T1-4:25

I was really excited when I got out of the water, but then I felt a little pathetic when there were hardly any bikes left in the transition area. I know I am slow, but come on! Some old guy was taking down the racks next to me and was trying to have a convo with me. All I could think was, “Really dude, I am kinda busy right now. No time for chit chat.” I felt very flustered at this point and was ready to get out on the bike!



Bike-3:42:49

There was a short, but steep incline coming right out of the transition area, so I ran up this and hopped on my bike. I was zooming along the initials miles. I was very conscious of my nutrition at this point and was making sure I followed the plan I had. I really didn’t want to suffer later and was watching my fuel intake closely. The 1st 30 miles were a lot of rolling hills and I was keeping a steady speed and was averaging right around 16.0 mph. The next 26 miles seemed to have more stretches of steady incline to me, so I was slowly losing speed as I was approaching Chalk Hill at mile 45ish. I was getting worried about the hill and hoping I wouldn’t die. I didn’t die, but it sure did kick my butt! My chain got stuck during the initial start of the climb, so I had to hop off my bike and fix it, but that was the only technical issue I had, thank goodness. As soon as I reached the top I zoomed down that sucker trying to regain some of the speed I had lost. I seemed to be by myself at this point except for one guy out ahead of me, so I made it my mission to catch him. A few of the lead men for the full Vineman had been passing me in the later miles of the bike, which was amazing! I couldn’t even fathom being that fast on the bike. As I was getting closer and closer to the finish I was starting to feel funny. My stomach felt odd and I contemplated taking another gel, but I decided to finish off the mix I had in my Camelbak. I also realized I was slacking on my water intake, so I drank more water as well. I kept chasing the guy in front of me and closing the gap. Before I knew it I was dismounting and in T2!

T2-3:27

I came in thinking I’d be surrounded by bikes since I was so slow in the water, but I was very happy to see the opposite. I know I wasn’t super speedy on the bike, but I was happy I was right where I thought I would be at this point. I grabbed my handheld, my spibelt and also took the water bottle I got from an aid station on the bike as a backup. I was ready to run!



Run-2:19:17

Here is where I fell apart. Although my legs felt good my stomach was not happy. My stomach literally felt like it was being twisted and my abdominal muscles were cramping. I NEVER cramp during runs and so it made me very nervous. As I was running out I saw my  HOmie and tossed Maritza my Garmin since he was being pissy and wouldn’t switch out of bike mode. I was running, but I really, really wanted to walk. I made it through the 1st aid station without stopping, but soon after I had to walk. I dumped water from the spare bottle I had all over me and that’s when I realized how hot I was. I could feel heat radiating off me and I knew that I must have been dehydrated. I managed to run/walk through the next two stops. I was taking in Gatorade and fruit since there was no way I could choke a gel down at this point. I knew that it was only 4 aid stations out, so I just kept counting. There were some steep sections of incline that I knew about, but was in denial about. I walked up these :)

Magically around mile 3.5 something clicked and I felt good…. really good. I was running and I was finally passing people. I felt SO happy and elated and even though it was hot out and I had felt so awful just moments before I felt amazing! I was running and loving everything going on around me. I have no idea how fast I was actually running, but I felt like I was keeping a pretty decent pace at this point. I saw Alisa on my way back and was so happy to see her that I gave her a hug!

Before I knew it I was making my 2nd lap and I got to see everyone two more times before I was on the final stretch! On the way out for my 2nd lap I didn’t let myself stop at the aid stations and said I could only walk through the 2nd on my way back. The race directors are slightly mean and you have to run up a hill half way before you turn around and head back to the finish. At this point I got hosed down one last time and made the final push to the finish. I wasn’t sure how to feel since I wanted to keep running and then I laughed because that’s just nuts! Once I entered the parking lot I knew the finish was SO close that I ran as hard as I could. I think this was probably the fastest I’ve ever run at the end of a race. I was DONE!!!!!

Overall- 7:05:02

Immediately I felt like the coolest person in the world and was just so happy. I was so proud of myself and I never imagined that I would feel so good after covering 70.3 miles. I found Maritza, Kendra, and Ron! He made me the most amazing sign and I was so happy to see it as I ran to the finish! Kristen came over and I was so grateful to have everyone there to support me. Soon after Alisa was finished and we were all reunited! We hugged and I was so proud of her! We did it!!!!! I had an amazing time that weekend and I was so grateful to have her there! I met her wonderful family who were awesome and were great spectators!

My awesome sign courtesy of Ron :)

AMAZING bffs who made my day & I couldn't have done it without them ♥

My cheerleaders!!!

We did it!!!!!! RAWR!

I’m not going to lie and say I’ve been on cloud 9 ever since. Life has been crazy the past month with lots of work, life and marathon training. Things are finally starting to settle and I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Not that it was ever dark, but I definitely think I am one of those people who needs to reflect back on a training cycle before I throw myself straight into another. Remind me of this next time I think doing a trillion races in a row is a good idea, okay? Haha

With all that said I really am extremely thankful to my friends, family, and blogger/twitter peeps that have supported me. I know I was a bit kooky and all over the place during this training cycle, but those close to me listened to my nonsense and for that I am forever grateful. I promise next time there will be less crazy talk…yes, there will be a next time :)

EEEEEEEKKKKKKKK

The time has come and it's race week! On Saturday I will be tackling a whopping 70.3 miles and I hope that in the many hours I am out there I am able to maintain some sort of composure and not cry the entire race. I am not a cryer, but everytime I think about the race and finishing I get choked up. Weird who knew I had feelings! haha

Last week I was a freaking mess and was scared, which is very unlike me....taper makes me crazy!!!! However, after my weekend workouts I felt much more relaxed and calm.On Saturday I did a 1 mile open water swim followed by 40 miles on the bike. When I was swimming I focused on sighting and while I was riding I focused on my fueling, which made this brick workout go by pretty quickly and kept my mind from wandering. Sunday I ran 10 miles in the city and got to cheer on many of my wonderful running friends who were running some part of the San Francisco Marathon. This made me kinda sad since I have some sick obsession with this evil course, but I know next year I will be back :)

This week started off with a celebration! I turned 28 on Monday and was able to spend the day with my best friends!!! I had an amazing day and am incredibly thankful to have so many wonderful friends in my life ♥ Today I am feeling good about Barb's. I am ready to do the damn thing.  I can't wait to cross that finish line on Saturday and then proceed to consume the largest slurpee known to mankind.

tick tock, tick tock....

The days are counting down until Barb's and I keep getting really excited/anxious!  I feel ready and then I realize I have no idea what I am doing and 70.3 miles is a LONG way to go! I have some goals floating around my head that I feel are reasonable, but I am trying not to stress too much about time since this is my 1st half ironman and I really just want to soak everything up!

Swim
1 hr...um yeah, I know this doesn't seem like much of a goal, but I am a snail in the water & unless they change the rules and allow me to put a motor in my wetsuit the goal for the swim is slow and steady!

Bike
I feel a lot more confident on the bike than when I 1st started and I know that if I stay confident I will push myself a lot more during the race. I need to not worry about hills and other people around me and just stay focused on me! I haven't gotten in as many long rides as I would have liked, but I do feel like my endurance is there and I know I will have no problem with the distance. The goal is to have an average speed of 15.0 mph for the bike portion. However, I am really hoping that my average is closer to 16 mph.

Run
I have been feeling really good on my runs lately. I know that typically if I were just running a half marathon with my current fitness I can run very close to 2 hrs, however it's possible that it will be very HOT by the time I am running and to be honest I might be slightly tired ;) My goal for the run is 2:10 and I am only allowed to walk through water stops if absolutely necessary!


Sooooo with all that said I would like to finish Barb's in 7 hours or less. I am hoping that things go smoothly and I don't have any technical or stomach issues, but if for some reason I do I am confident that I will be crossing that finish line with a huge smile across my face no matter what!


 Anyone who has ever done a half ironman give me any advice or info that you think would be helpful come race day. I think the scariest part about this is packing all my crap and getting all my fuel together! lol

up, up and away!

Training has been going good! I am not going to bore you with all the details, but I will tell you about my adventure filled ride this weekend!


Saturday I had my long ride scheduled. I didn't really have a specific route in mind, but I did know I wanted to get in a good 50-60 miles. I let myself sleep in when I ride because I don't mind the warmer temps and I really need my sleep lately since I like to stay up late. I woke up a little before 9 got all my stuff together and hit the road. I took my usual route to get out of town and then I decided to follow some other cyclists I saw out. I am a total creeper on the bike and follow people to see where they are going :) As I was following them I noticed we were going up a hill. It wasn't too bad in terms of grade or anything like that, but there was no shoulder and it was pretty windy with lots of sharp turns. It was also a pretty busy street and cars were kinda scary. I made sure I was as far over as I felt comfortable and after climbing for a bit I pulled over after crossing an intersection. I took a little break to take my Accel gel and drink some water since I had been out for about an hour.

I started back on my adventure and decided to follow this road that many cyclist were riding on. As I was following the road I realized I was making my way up Mt. Diablo. There I was climbing this giant mountain knowing I have never done any real climbing on my bike before and I was by myself on a route I have never been on...smart, real smart! Thankfully, my legs are quite muscle machines (too bad they aren't lean muscle machines..lol) and I made my way up Diablo without much of an issue. I was keeping my speed comfortable since I was worried I would bonk and be stuck on the side of the road with no one to help me. I was finally starting to get tired and was running out of water when I stumbled upon a ranger station where lots of other cyclists were taking a break...whew! When I pulled up on my bike I realized I was surrounded by a bunch of cycling dudes in fancy kits and ever fancier bikes. There I was with my pigtails sticking out of my helmet with my child size bike. FML was all I could think. I took a few moments to take in the scenery, refill my bottles, and decide my next course of action. There was a sign pointing you in the direction of the summit and the other option was to make my way back down. At this point I had only traveled about 20 miles, so I decided it was best to make my way back down so that I would get the distance in I had planned for the day.

I began traveling back down the mountain and immediately wished I had decided to climb to the top! It was scary as F@$% going down the twisty roads at 30+ miles per hours, so I squeezed my breaks for dear life and prayed I didn't take a turn too wide and become airborn off the side of the mountain. I do not kid....I think that was the most scared I have ever been. The good thing about going so fast is that I was at the bottom before I knew it and was continuing my ride on my typical post-work route. I was just about to turn around at 40 miles and head back home when I got a flat tire :( Glass had punctured all the way through my tire and I couldn't remove it, so I called my HOmie and she came to my rescue. At this point I was tired and I didn't have another gel with me so I figured a tough 40 mile ride was good enough! I came home and fixed my tire and was wiped out! I didn't really feel any soreness the follow day, but yesterday when I went for a 20 miler I could feel it in my quads and it took me awhile before I felt warmed up.

Even though I didn't get in the distance I had intended I am proud of myself for tackling a ride that is pretty challenging and now I know I can handle some monster hills! RAWR!

In the wonderful world of swimming. I feel like I am getting better. I know have felt this way before and the results show I was not in fact getting better. However, I have re-structured my workouts that make me feel more productive and I think my form has improved. I am hoping to confirm this theory when I do a 1 mile open water swim later in July.

Now we can't forget about my true love....running! Running has been going good. I feel like something has clicked and I feel much more comfortable now in terms of doing speedwork and pushing myself. I had a great track workout where I did 4X800s and my avg pace was 7:38. I also had a great race pace run last Friday and averaged an 8:55 pace for 6 miles. This is making me feel much more confident on the running front since I will be heading into Chicago Marathon training straight after I complete Barb's race! I know, I know...what was I thinking!?!?







 
 

Silicon Valley International Tri Race Report

Two weekends ago I completed my 1st Olympic triathlon and I had a blast! It was seriously so much fun and very exhilarating :)

Swim: 47:02.7

Um....yeah, well I still suck! lol I shouldn't say suck, but I am still not very efficient in open water and had some issues with my goggles. I got kicked in the face at the start, but managed to get my goggles back on, but after going around the 1st buoy I got clocked in the side of the head by someone's fist and they broke my goggles, so I swam the rest goggle-less. This water was yucky and I feared my eyes would fall out :-/ The course was pretty convoluted with a lot of turns, which made me nervous, but once I was in the water it was pretty easy to navigate and I only had a few times where I veered off course.

 Ready...

Set...

GO!

T1: 3:55.8

I had quite the little trek back to my bike from the water. I didn't have a very good spot in the transition, so it took me a little longer than I would have liked. I had a hard time getting my wetsuit off as well. My legs were feeling a little jello like at this point.

gaaaahhh...me in a wetsuit :-/

heading out on the bike

Bike: 1:33:41

This was a fast bike course! I was picking up a lot of speed and was really excited I was doing so well during the initial miles. There were some small rollers at the start, but then we got to a flat straight stretch with a bad head wind and I lost some of my momentum, but I still felt very strong. There was a turn around at the end of this stretch, which was great since we then got a good tail wind on the way back :) There was only one significant hill that was about 1 mile long at mile 15 of the race. I just went into granny gear and cranked up this sucker. The last 10 miles of this race were FAST and I picked up a lot of speed I had lost on the hill earlier. The last few miles I was able to pass quite a few people, which made me happy since I always get passed on the bike.

T2: 2:08.6

When I got back to the transition I laughed because it looked like a hurricane had hit. My good friend Shelly was also racing and our stuff along with the guys next to us was everwhere!!!! I wasn't sure if I wanted to take another gel on the run, but I grabbed one just in case and I was off!

exiting the transition

happy to see Aron & Maritza :)

Run: 58:44.8

I felt really tired at the start of the run and my calves were super tight! It was also pretty warm and sunny out at this point, so I felt like a slug! I decided to take the gel I grabbed at around mile 2. It was NASTY since it was hot out and turned all liquidy :( However, I managed to get most of it in my mouth. The rest I wore proudly on the front on my top for the rest of the race. This course was kind of all over the place, which was nice because it was distracting since I coulnd't figure out where we were running next. My legs started to feel better around mile 3 and I could tell I was picking up some speed. I started to close the gap between people that were ahead of me and I decided I needed to start picking people off. Soon I was a little over a mile away and this lady I had been chasing was finally behind me! There was one guy in front of me and some volunteers yelled at me to go get him, which gave me the final push to the end! Sadly he was onto me and beat me across the finish, but hey I tried!

Finish time: 3:25:33!!!!!

All in all I had a good day! I am happy with my bike and run. The swim is where I know I need to improve the most, but again I just think I am not made for the water. It's something I need to come to grips with and figure into my goal time for Barb's. Speaking of which it is only 38 days away! YIKES!!!!