Being sick! + Race Report: Pinnacle Bank 5k

I signed up for the Pinnacle Bank 5k in Osceola because one of my old training buddies needed an extra person for their team.  Initially, I was hoping for it to be a fast effort, but between triathlon training, recovery issues, and the fact that it was just plan old July (i.e. HOT and HUMID), this was not to be the case.  In addition, I woke up Friday night with (what I thought) were some annoying GI issues.  They were bad enough that if it weren't a team event, I might have sat it out.  But given that it was, I drug myself out of bed and began my typical pre-race routine: coffee, cereal, water, etc.  Upon arriving in Osceola and finding my friends, I of course had to tell Matt about my recent toils.  He swiftly reminded me that it wasn't much different from the last time we raced together in Ashland at Mud, Sweat, and Beers. (Oh yes...how could that slip my mind?)  Anyway, I was assured that there would be cornfields on both sides of the country road with which we would traverse.  The race was small, yet well supported by the local communities.  I ran into a few people I knew and had a nice time catching up with them.  A few minutes before 8am, the Columbus Cheetahs headed to the start line.  (On Facebook the night before, Matt had made reference to the fact that he had coined the team name, but I pointed out that I was pretty sure, pretty sure, that I had been the original creator of such a catchy name back in 2008.  Matt said that maybe that was so, it wasn't that cool of a name anyway.  Sigh.)

The course was an out-and-back with one right hand turn at the very beginning of the race, maybe 400 meters in.  As we neared the turn, everyone around me started hollering, "Turn around!, turn around!". I quickly shifted my focus straight ahead and noticed that the lead guy had missed the turn.  Oblivious to everyone shouting, onward he went, so sure of his commanding lead.  I burst out laughing.  It was funny.  (Reminder--always know the course.  Especially if you hope to lead the race.)  Because of this mistake, the initial leader would not find a place in the top 5, though I'm not sure he would have anyway.  The final top three runners are pretty solid.

But back to the race.  It felt terrible.  Every step I took was labored.  And what the heck? Are those SOYBEANS I see?!  To make matters worse, at the halfway turn, we found ourselves running straight into the wind. Ugh.  Luckily, the race didn't last forever as it was only a 5k.  I ended winning the women's division and placing 5th overall finisher.  Not a PR, but not a personal worst.  Given everything, I'll take it.  I felt so sick afterwards that I had to ask the race director for my award early. (I am unable to post the race results because I cannot find them.  Strange given my talents for finding race results.)

Initially, I wasn't too concerned with the GI developments from the night before.  Those type of things tend to pass quickly.  However, here it is Monday afternoon and I'm still sick as a dog.  I'm exhausted, have been sleeping 24/7, and can barely keep any food in my system.  I keep trying to decide if I need immodium, pepto, or advil.  And this couldn't have come at a worse time as I have my Ironman this weekend.  I can barely walk up the stairs, let alone compete a race of 140.6 miles. This better pass ASAP.  There is so much time and money invested in this weekend's activities.

I'll end on this: As I was willing myself better today by taking a nap, I had a dream about Ironman Boulder.  Instead of the biking 112 miles, the race participants would be performing a group dance instead.  See how well my mind knows me?!  Terrible biker, fabulous dancer. HA!

IRONMAN training/Race Report: Seward Optimist 10k

Top 3 finishers at the Seward Optimist 10k

What better way to start the 4th than with a race?! Philip and I have done this event the last few years as it is just so convenient...however, Philip has been struggling with an injury these last few months that hasn't allowed him to do much.  I woke up, drank some coffee and ate some toast, then headed out to the fairgrounds where the race was slated to begin and finish.  Arriving around 6 for a 7am start, I was practically the only one there.  I've started bringing my Kindle to races if I have an downtime.  This way, I can focus on my book instead of my impending event.  I got my packet and got my gear organized.  We were lucky enough to wake up to a cool and calm day, virtually unheard of in July!

I wasn't planning on racing that day.  Actually, I haven't really planned to "race" any of my summer events.  As I will most likely only do one Ironman, I have to put most of my energy and focus into that. That being said, I had planned a 100 mile bike ride for the following day.  I wanted to make sure that my legs were fresh and strong to accomplish this.

I ran sans watch and felt great during the race.  I pushed a pace that was quick, but that wouldn't destroy my quads.  I wasn't sure exactly where I was, but I was hoping to still be under 43.  As I came to the last 400 meters or so, I was able to see the time in the distance.  I would make my goal! Final time: 42:35, good for 3rd female overall.

Complete results can be found here.

So.  Ironman training.  How's that going?

The swim: I'm guessing this will take me somewhere in the neighborhood of an hour and 20 minutes to complete the 2.4 mile swim.  Unfortunately, I don't have access to a good lake to grind out my training, so I've been swimming in the pool at the Fallbrook Y. Back and forth, back and forth.  My longest swim to date has been an hour and 10 minutes, and am planning to do my longest swim this morning.  Physically, I am not worried about doing this...however, with a couple thousand people gunning into the water at about the same time, flailing, punching, kicking, it can be nerve wracking.  I'm planning on starting off to the side a bit in an attempt to avoid a little of this.  Hopefully not too many people are employing the same plan!

The bike: It is still hard to conceive biking 112 miles.  Biking is probably my least favorite of the three disciplines, which is unfortunate as I'll be on the bike for the longest part of the day.  My biking has been going okay.  I have completed long rides of 50, 80, and 100 miles.  Pretty fast increase of distance.  Going into my 100 miler last weekend, I knew that I was just going to have to grind it out and get it done.  I bike 40 miles total to and from Lincoln from my house, then biked 50 more to and from York.  Two years ago, I almost crashed my bike when a blue heeler came at me unexpectedly on this route.  I have been very nervous to traverse these roads again but finally got brave enough to try it.  When I was almost home, that same ridiculous dog came at me again!!!! I screamed and prepared for a crash, wobbling left and right.  It was around this point that I realized that I couldn't unclip my shoe from my pedal.  I ended up heading home, clocking 90 miles.  Ugh.  I went downstairs and finished up my long ride with 40 minutes on the spin bike.  I finished up with 3 miles on the treadmill.  All felt good!

The run:  After taking some time off to deal with my weird quad issues from last spring, I started a quick buildup for the half marathon in Norfolk.  After that, I bumped up to 15 miles, and completed a 19.5 miler a week and a half later.  Although I had some annoying GI issues, I finished this feeling okay.  I'm guessing that the marathon portion of the Ironman will be more about survival than fast times anyway.  We'll see.

Other preparations:  I've been studying the course, blogs that others have written, and nutrition plans.  I feel like thoughts of the Ironman are on my mind constantly throughout the day, so it will be nice to check this off the list and go back to "regular" life.

Cheers!

Race Report: Achieve Sprint Triathlon

Holly and I post-race

Yeah I know.  I have not been doing the best job keeping up with my blog.  Not cool and I'm hoping to fix this.  (Aren't we supposed to have more time in the summer?!)

As I absolutely LOVE triathlons, I was pretty excited leading up to this event.  My friend Holly had expressed prior that she was interested in doing a triathlon, and this one seemed perfect for a first tri as it was a pool swim vs. open water.  In addition, I had heard good things about the event. Being knee deep in Ironman training, I was wondering a) how switching to a faster gear would feel and b) if i was going to feel okay after my 80 mile bike ride a few days before.

I felt a little disjointed packing...I had tossed some gear into the truck, some into my bag, and some was still laying around the house.  Nice. Even though this race was a sprint, you still need so much gear! Holly and I talked that afternoon about what we were planning to bring to make sure we had all of our bases covered.

I got up at 4am race morning with plans to leave the house at 4:30.  The truck was loaded, I had made my pre-race PB&J, and coffee was set.  I ended up being ready to leave at 4:22am and started my hour and a half journey to Bellevue in the dark.

Holly and I met at the race location, and grabbed some of our gear to check in.  Checking in was very easy and laid back, but not much information was available regarding the courses.  While everyone should know the course, I am always thankful that I am not a really fast guy where it is IMPERATIVE to know the course.  It is so disappointing getting off course (which, I suppose, happens even if you're not leading the entire event).  I was told that all of that would be covered at the pre-race meeting.  Okay.

Swim (4:52)
The swim was a continuous 300 yard lap swim.  We were lined up according to our predicted 300 time and started every 15 seconds.  It seemed like the pool ropes didn't exactly match up with the lane lines which felt confusing...was this real or just me?  I ended up not doing flip turns because of this.  (After talking to another athlete afterward, it was confirmed that this was true.)  Oh well. I enjoyed swimming this way even if it was difficult to get a good, fast time turned in.

T1 (1:40)
I exited the pool and headed to transition.  Transition has been a weak spot for me so was hoping to really work on this today.  I ripped off my goggles and swim cap on my way to my bike, put on my socks and shoes, put on my helmet and sunglasses, and pushed start on my GPS.  Off I went.

Bike (34:08)
This is definitely my weakest discipline.  With that being said, I knew that I really had to get the heck out of there if I were to place high.  The course started out with a hill, but luckily didn't have much after that as it was primarily on a trail.  The first couple miles had several turns, and as I'm not totally confident that I won't crash, I always take these relatively slowly.  Once I got on the trail, I pedaled as quickly as I could.  I felt good, but as the race had a staggered start, I had no idea where any other female racers were, making it difficult to actually "race".  Towards the very end of the race, there was a very short, but VERY steep hill.  I threw my bike into the easiest gear, but found myself not being able to make it up the hill.  HOLY COW!  After finally getting to the crest, I lost quite a bit of time trying to get going again.  Yikes.  Not a good way to finish up the bike.

T2 (:54)
I am a big believer in never looking behind me to find out the location of my competition.  This definitely shows weakness....if I am concerned, that means that I'm hurting.  If I am confidently running (or biking), this makes me seem harder to catch.  As all sports, this is for sure a mind game.  That being said, as I ran into transition, I THOUGHT I saw another female coming in right after me.  I didn't look. I threw my bike on the rack, ripped my helmet, and grabbed my visor.  This ended up being a 54 second transition for me, which was probably my fastest ever.

Run (21:02)
The run was hillier than the bike.  But because it was an out and back course with a little loop in the middle, we got to run down that which we ran up.  The first mile was primarily up, but we also got to finish the opposite way on the same hill, so I was okay with this.  My run felt really slow.  My GPS was having a hard time locating its signal, but finally got it going.  My first "mile" was 6:56.  I finished feeling relatively strong.

Final time: 1:02:33.

Final place: 2nd by about a minute and a half.

As I was driving home after the event, I thought about my mindset as a triathlete/runner...I want to be #1 in everything I do.  I want to be the best swimmers, the best biker, and the best runner.  I want to be the fastest in transition.  But it doesn't stop there--I want to be a great teacher.  I want to be a great mother.  Obviously I know where my priorities lay.  However, it remains such a struggle to find an appropriate balance and to accept where I am at athletically and what is realistic.

The journey continues.

For complete results, click here

Race Report: Lincoln Half-Marathon

Philip and I at the finish of the Lincoln Half-Marathon

Last year, this race went so very well for me.  I placed 23rd overall and was just one place shy of an age group award.  Pretty solid.  Even though I knew that I wasn't going to be repeating that performance this year, I have to admit that I believed there was a chance that race day magic would fall upon me and give my legs the strength to run a solid effort.  As the day approached, I was forced to accept reality.  This wasn't going to be pretty.  So--I was left with two choices.  Rip off my timing chip and run incognito, giving in to my inevitable fate.  Or run as hard as I could until I couldn't anymore.  If it were up to me, I would have chosen the latter.  Philip pointed out to me that evening that I had Market to Market the next week, and "Isn't that way more important to you?"  I chose to swallow my pride (sort of) and did the smart thing.

Philip and I decided to run together on Sunday.  Although I had completed every training run on my calendar, they were not fast as I have been struggling for the past few months.  I knew that I could finish the race if I went slow enough, but I a) didn't want to ruin Philip's race and b) didn't want to let my team down.  But my husband is so wonderful and selfless.  He said that helping me through this struggle was more important to him than a single race.

So here goes nothing.

I got up at 4:30am after sleeping horribly.  My parents had spent the night so that they could bring Quinn and Anders to the race to cheer us on, and allowed us to sleep downstairs so we could get some uninterrupted sleep.  I have long had problems sleeping the night before a big event and this was no different.  Which was ridiculous.  I wasn't even going to be able to race tomorrow for heaven's sake!

Anyway, we got to the race start a little after 6am for a 7am start.  Luckily our WRN jerseys are so bright that we quickly found some of my teammates. We hung out, chatted, stretched, etc. Ten-ish minutes before the cannon went off signaling the start, we headed over to our starting area.  (With so many people competing, we were assigned different colored bibs based on our estimated finish time.)

BOOM!!!

We were off.

I struggled for the first four or five miles.  My problematic quads kept cramping, forcing me to pull over to stretch them out.  (Poor Philip.  I told him several times he could go ahead of me.)  However, after we passed the 10k mark and made the turn onto the trail, I started feeling--dare I say--good?  Yes, good! Not rockstarpersonalrecord good, but much better than I expected.  A number of times, Philip had to request that I slow down.  So strange--we flip flopped our weak moments in the race, allowing the one to help the other.  Isn't this what married is all about?

So, yes.  We finished 13.1 miles hand in hand.  Together.  Reminiscent of our full marathon at Twin Cities.  But more importantly was the fact that, with the help of my husband, I was able to finish the race.  My quads didn't collapse.

And I saw a glimmer of hope that my racing days may return.

Race Report: Leprechaun Chase 10k

PH and I post-race

Leprechaun Chase.  For the last several years, this event has been a big deal to me.  Because of this, I have trained hard and typically had a good day here.  Yesterday, this was not the case.

Although I have had a few hurdles during my current training cycle, I felt more of less ready a week from race day.  I told my husband that I was going to train hard at the beginning of the week and then taper off so I'd be ready for race day.  I did 9 miles last Saturday, took it easy Sunday, then REALLY hammered it on Monday and Tuesday to the tune of three-a-days and 90 minutes total of hard work on both days.  Wednesday I pulled another tough two-a-day.  After that workout, my legs felt like they were toast.  I was still hopeful at this point and took it very easy on Thursday and Friday.  (I even took an extremely cold 20 minute ice bath in hopes that it would speed my recovery.)  Still, I awoke Saturday morning to tired legs.  Part of me wanted to pull out of the race before it even started...and part of me wondered if a good time was possible even with my overtrained legs.

I spend my Saturday morning cleaning and caring for my boys.  Nutritionally, my day was near perfect.  Cereal, coffee, and water for breakfast, then a peanut butter bagel and yogurt with more water for lunch.  I was feeling okay.

But here's how the race went:

The start:
As was expected, the competition was insanely talented.  I saw all of the usual faces, and many whom I didn't know (some folk from Colorado had the made the trip...like I said, this race is a big deal).  But judging by the fact that they positioned themselves at the very front of the pack, I knew they'd be fast.  As the starting gun sounded, the top dogs all sprinted off.  I felt good for the first few minutes.

Miles 2-3:
I was still holding my own at this point.  While three of my teammates were in front of me, they were not that far in front (maybe 20ish seconds??).  This is a hilly course and though I should have been feeling okay during these early miles, I could already feel every hill.  Not that I mentally gave up this early, but I knew that I was in trouble.  I glanced down at my watch at mile 3...20:25.  Okay, not GREAT by any means, but if I even split I could still run a 41 and some change.

Miles 4-finish:
Oh my.  Oh my.  I have not felt this terrible during a race in forever.  (Isn't it weird how you can feel so good when you're running fast and horrible when you're running slow?)  I debated dropping from the race around mile 4 so I wouldn't have to face the music of this race.  I was definitely seeing the writing on the wall.  The last mile offers a decent downhill, and I was trying my hardest to use this, but was coming up empty.  As I passed mile 6 (with .2 to go), I glanced down at my watch...upper 42.  Geez.  This was way worse than I thought.
...

The after party was fun.  I really enjoyed being with my husband and friends and celebrating their successes.  I have always said that you need bad races to appreciate the good ones.  And you really DO.  But this was four minutes slower than last year.  FOUR MINUTES.  So now I'm dealing with some self doubt.  Is this it? Am I done? Picking yourself up from a defeat can be a tough feat.  But I feel very driven to do great things in the running world... which looks to be part of my problem.  I have not been respecting my body by giving it the rest it needs to recover from tough efforts.  I am 31 now.  I have had two babies.  I'm working and have my family to care for.  As much as I'd like to be able to hammer the way I did in my 20's, those days are over.

I'm gonna try some new things with my training.  Wish me luck!

Race Report: Bryan Health Indoor Triathlon

Fam and I post-race

A little late for my post, but things have been quite busy and hectic in the Hohman house.  So--better late than never, right?  Philip and I (and my sissy Emilie) once again competed in the Bryan Indoor Triathlon in Lincoln.  We were so impressed with the event last year--a chance to get a good tri in during "off season".  Last year, we felt like we had discovered a diamond in the rough...the event seemed relatively small and we knew no one else competing.  This year, the cat was out of the bag as several of our friends were entered into the mix.

The event has heats going off all day with 8 participants competing at a time.  I signed all three of us up to be in the same heat so we'd be able to spend the afternoon together (our heat was set to go off at 12:05).  The race consisted of 10 minutes of swimming, a 10 minute transition, 30 minutes on the spin bike, followed by a 5 minute transition, and finished up with 20 minutes on the bike.  After checking out where each portion of the event takes place, I learned that the leading female (a team NE runner) had made it 3.05 miles during the run--my goal, in addition to a high placing, was to run farther than that in the time slot.  I was pretty sure that I ran farther than that last year, but wasn't sure how good of shape I was in this year.

The Swim
Each swimmer was assigned a lane with another swimmer.  Upon checking in, Philip and I discovered that we were sharing a lane.  Philip and Em got in a quick warm-up while I stretched by the side of the pool.  A couple minutes to start, we adjusted our goggles and got ready.  As I don't swim much (actually, I haven't swum since last summer's half ironman), my pacing isn't the best.  I started out a little fast...but after settling in, I felt pretty good.  Emilie finished one lap in front of me and Philip finished one lap behind me.  So far, so good.

The Bike
After changing out of our swimsuits, we made our way to the biking studio and adjusted our bikes.  The bike portion of the event was measured in average watts (output of power) divided by your weight.  This was a new scoring method this year--the race organizers hoped that this would make things more fair as bigger people most likely had more power than smaller ones.  (Philip pointed out that the opposite was true on the run.)  There isn't much for entertainment during the bike ride, so this year opted to run listening to music on my phone, which really helped out.  I can't say that the 30 minutes went by quickly, but was over soon enough.  Philip completely destroyed the competition by coming in with an average of 270 watts compared to my 152.  I was a little disappointed.  Despite many hours in the saddle, I haven't seemed to find much success there.  Onto the last portion!

The Run
This is my strength.  I hadn't turned in the strongest swims and bikes of the day, so REALLY had to get after it on the treadmill.  Once we were allowed to start, I set my treadmill at 9.8 MPH, which is a little over 6 minute miles.  I was able to hold this pace until shortly after two miles, but then my legs started feeling like jello.  I wasn't sure if I control my legs at this point and was seriously worried that I might crash off the treadmill.  I backed off to about 9.2.  As the finish drew near, I was able to finish a little bit faster and ended my 20 minutes with 3.19 miles.  This I was happy with.

Philip, Em, and I showered and got a quick lunch at Five Guys (so yummy, so unhealthy).  As there were still several heats to go, results would not be posted until that evening.  After church that day, we learned that I had won with Emilie getting third for the ladies.  Philip came in number two for the guys. Way to represent, family!

Next up is the ultra competitive Leprechaun Chase...stayed tuned! :)

Race Report: Kicks and Kisses 5k

Amy and I pre-race

First race report of the year! YAY!

So.  Training has not been going as well as I was hoping it would.  I've been sick a couple times in the past month and, most likely in conjunction, have not been recovering well from my hard efforts.  Very frustrating to say the least.  4:40am wake up calls, working out, 10 hour work days, and taking care of my sons has been pretty challenging.  As my first race of the year neared, I knew I was not at the spot I was last year.  (I had placed 2nd in 2014.)  Looking at the roster of registrants, I knew there was NO WAY that I'd crack the top three with where my fitness was at.  As everyone probably knows by this point, I'm very competitive.  Very.  And so a
new idea formed in my mind last week...Kicks and Kisses has an individual 5k and a team 5k--for the latter, you are tethered together for the entire race.  You must start and finish together.  Philip is in great shape.  He's been constant and consistent with his training.  I was pretty sure that Philip and I could win the Duo Dash. (Plus he's a really good sport and puts up with my crazy running/racing ways.)

I talked to the race director last week to see if we could switch events and luckily he made it happen. (Thank you!) Philip and I were both a little worried that there was the potential for problems...that one of us would say something sassy during the race.  After talking about it, we decided that we were just going to run for fun.  For FUN.  After this decision was made, the pressure was off for both of us.  My husband made me a delicious Valentine's Dinner the night before (chicken risotto!), we watched 'Modern Family", and went to bed early.

We awoke the next morning to a temperature of 12 degrees.  After checking the forecast, I saw that it wouldn't be much better at race time (9:05am for the Duo Dash).  Philip and I layered up knowing full well what was in store for us (frozen fingers and burning lungs--are you jealous yet?!).  We dropped our boys off at Philip's cousin's home and headed into Lincoln.  We got there early enough to secure a good parking spot, which in the Haymarket is generally unheard of.  We picked up our packets and got everything organized for the event.  About five minutes to race time, we left our warm surrounding at Vega for the bitter bite of winter that would be our reality for the next 20ish minutes.  I told Philip to remind me to never run another winter race.  Standing at the starting line, I even told Philip that after this race, I would never run again. (Yeah, right!)  I like running, but hate being cold.  What a wimp.

After the Cupid Chase (which was the solo race) had begun, Philip and our fellow duo dashers got lined up and ready. As the horn blew signaling the start, my tethered partner-in-crime and I ran off.  Now--I must admit that it was rather challenging zig-zagging around the Cupid Chasers.  Philip and I would try to ask people to move by saying "On your left!", but many had ear phones in and couldn't hear us.  This became part of the team challenge of the race for us.  We would come upon a group of runners, and Philip would tell me to go to the left or the right, or whether he wanted me or him to take the lead when we needed to run single file.  I thought that we did an awesome job of working together.

As we looped around the arena, we had a good feeling that we would win the mixed division (male + female).  Right before the final curve, Philip noticed that another mixed team was coming up behind us.  We picked it up and were ready for a fight to the finish.  The other couple didn't push back and we easily won it.

Did my lungs burn and fingers freeze?  Yes.  I felt like garbage.  This is what I get for running almost solely on my treadmill.  Maybe I am making excuses, but it is SO hard to run outside with my littles.  (Plus I just started to watch 'Parenthood' while running.  I'm quickly becoming obsessed with the Bravermans...)  We met back up with my WRN teammate Amy and hung out at Vega until the awards.   I bundled myself back up and drank some hot cocoa to warm myself up.

Will I ever run again? Yes.  Will I sign up for another winter race? Yes.  I apparently never learn.

Big thanks to Zach and Heidi for putting on another stellar even.  If you haven't run any of their events, they are a must.  Complete results to the Cupid Chase and Duo Dash can be found here.

Happy running, friends!

Race Report: Cross Country Classic

WRN @ Cross Country Classic 2014 

Cross country racing is my second favorite event to run (after a road 5k).  Why? The terrain is varied (ie--up and down...up and down...up and down) and you are one with nature.  Plus, as this type of racing isn't as available as a road race, it is more of a spectacle.  So--earlier this year when I found out that the Cross Country Classic was part of the BRIN Running Series, I was pumped.

This past year, I have used training and racing as a way to deal with all of the hardships our family has faced in the past 14 months, and at this time will loudly admit that maybe my eyes (when signing up for races) were a little bigger than my ability to recover from all these "hard" efforts.  Because of this, I have struggled to remain at 100%.  (Gosh--at this point, I would take a solid 90%!)  I had a hard time after the 70.3.  I had a hard time after the marathon.  I had a hard time after Market to Market.

So yeah.  I've been running for many years and know that what I need is a healthy dose of some time off.  After M2M, I took an entire 7 days off.  No running, no cross training.  That being said, my first day back was Monday, October 20th, only 6 days out from the Cross Country Classic.

I knew this was going to be a tough course.  I knew there was going to be even tougher competition.  AND it was supposed to be over 80 degrees? Because of these three factors, I wasn't sure how the day would go.

I met my teammates about an hour to the 2pm start at the Carol Joy Holling Center.  I had raced out here the previous year so knew that this was going to be hard and hilly.  I absolutely loved the start...all of the teams competing were assigned boxes at the front so it definitely had a "Cross Country" feel.  We started right at 2pm.  I darted out per usual and started running up a big hill.  Okay, I can handle this.  However, once I got about a mile in, I felt tired.  Really tired.  And I was breathing harder than I should have been.  I try to be tough during my races, but knew that anyone who was running in my vicinity would know that I was working my butt off.  Luckily, by this point were were pretty spread out to there wasn't a ton of people running past me.

I was thanking my lucky stars when I finally got to mile 4 (the race was 5 miles total)...only ONE MILE left!! I can for sure run one mile!  As this was a team race, the top four scored.  There was only 37 seconds between our first scorer (Amy) and last scorer (me)...this tight of a finish is EXACTLY what you want in Cross Country racing!  Once again, super proud of my WRN teammates!  (I finished as the 11th place female with a time of 36:28.  Not my best effort, but could have been way worse.)

So now what? I am signed up to run The Good Life Halfsy but have a decision to make about this.  I can either bow out (I promise you I am not in shape to race a half right now) or jog it out.  As the race is next weekend (November 9), I am going to see how I feel this next week and go from there.  Unless I get a wild hair, my racing will be over until some point in 2015.

Here's to a GREAT 2014!! Thanks to my wonderful family and WRN for shaping such a great racing year! :)

Complete Race Results can be found here: http://www.onlineraceresults.com/event/view_event.php?event_id=14641

Race Report: Market to Market 2014

WRN Market to Market 2014 :)

Ohmygoodness! Not even sure where to start about our wonderful experience at Market to Market this year!  For those of you who don't know, Market to Market begun in 2008 and is a relay race run from Omaha to Lincoln.  This year, the event had 21 exchange points for a total of 79 miles.  After WRN formed this spring, we thought it would be a fun idea to put a group of us together and compete for the women's division title.  Eight ladies on the team were able to commit, and the entire group made it to the starting line healthy and ready to race.  If you have ever captained a team, you know that this is virtually unheard of--injuries/other commitments always seem to take someone away last minute, and then there are struggles to find replacements so late in the game...especially when so many people in the state of Nebraska are already participating!!

Several of us stayed with my sister and one of her teammates the night before, and woke bright and not so early the next day (our wave didn't start until 9:20am).  We dropped Jenny off at the start as she was our lead off runner and then headed to stage two to meet up with the rest of the team.  We got all of our gear organized and ready to go.  I was our second runner, so I did some stretching/jogging so I'd be ready.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous...crisp and cool as I got ready to run.  As Team Nebraska-Women and WRN were the only two ladies' teams to qualify for two vehicles, I knew that they were going to be our competition for the day.  

I ran three times for a total of 12.8 miles.  Here are the breakdown of my runs:

Stage 2: 3.4 miles

As Jenny, our lead off runner, and to start the race against an olympic trials qualifier (tough for any of us), Team NE had quite the lead on our team when the baton was passed off to me.  I felt great during this first leg--I was so nervous to run...this energy combined with perfect racing temps made for a quick first stage.  Little by little, I caught up to the Team NE runner and I handed off the baton to Amy neck and neck with our competition.  It was on.  I knew that Amy would hold the lead for the the next stage as she's a really strong runner (which she did).  I don't think Team Nebraska thought that they were going to have anyone to worry about, and by the third hand off, I saw their next runner mouth a few words to a teammate.

Stage 10: 5.6 miles

At this point, I have to admit that I didn't feel that well the week after the Twin Cities Marathon.  I have seriously runs tons of marathons (30+) and have done some of them a week apart, so figured I would be fine to race M2M 6 days later.  Well, between getting older and probably the volume I've put on my legs this year, I wasn't feeling it.  I was incredibly worried for this next run as 5.6 miles is a pretty hefty distance.  I can always gut out a strong 3-4 miles, but 5+? That, combined with the fact that I had people depending on me, I was scared...

Since Jenny only had 2.7 miles to run before handing off to me, I had hopped in with another van (Thanks, Angie and Ben!) so was awkwardly waiting by myself at the next exchange.  We had been neck and neck with Team NE through about stage 8, but now the gap was growing.  There was probably about 2 minutes between us when I got the baton.

I ended up feeling pretty bad on this leg, but went as fast as my legs would go.  I thiiiiink I was running about 7 minute miles by this point (I've stopped wearing my GPS), a far cry from the smokin' fast paces that my teammates were turning in.  Dang.

Stage 18: 3.8 miles

For some reason, I had it in my head that this run was 3.4 miles.  Upon looking at my last leg as the day went on, I saw that I was wrong...very wrong! That extra .4 was faaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr for a final leg! (Meh--not really, but I was exhausted!)  I once again didn't feel the best, but gutted it out as best I could before my final hand off with Amy.  At this point, we were at least 5 minutes behind Team NE, and I knew that the third place team was pretty far behind us as well (I hadn't seen them at any recent exchange points), so we basically just had to hold good splits for our last couple runs to secure second place.

Morgan had a great final leg, and our team ended up finishing in 8:59:53, which is an average of 6:47 pace.  We were 2/79 for women's only teams, and overall placed 15/511.  Even more impressive (to me at least) is that we would have placed in every single category (Open and Mixed divisions).

To all my teammates (Jenny, Amy, Ann, Alyssa, Leah, Kylie, and Morgan) THANK YOU for everything each of you did to make this an amazing day! I had so much fun with you all! Can't wait for next year! :)

Complete results can be found here: http://jms.racetecresults.com/results.aspx?CId=16370&RId=111

Happy running, y'all! :) It's been a gorgeous Fall! 

Race Report: TC 5k and Twin Cities Marathon

Philip and I at the finish of the Twin Cities Marathon 2014

TC 5k
Yes, I really did race a 5k and then turn around the next day and do a marathon.  Possibly not my smartest move, but it did all turn out okay and (mostly) went according to plan.  The week before at Harvest Moon Hustle, I ran a 20:14...as this was my last 5k of the year, out went my chance to go sub-20.  When Philip and I arrived in St. Paul for the marathon on Friday afternoon, I found out that the 5k that went along with the marathon weekend festivities was only a couple blocks from our hotel.  And we had no plans for the following morning.  And I really wanted to break 20 minutes.  So, I signed up at the expo and the next morning we found ourselves trekking out to yet another race. (And yes, I know that I have maybe taken it a bit overboard this year with racing...) Anyway, before signing up, I neglected to check out the course profile...while there was a magnificent down hill at the end of the race, the beginning boasted the same hill going UP.  No, this was not going to be an easy course to achieve my goal.  At this point, it was inevitable that I was running so I had no choice but to run my hardest.  That morning's races included a 10k at 7:30am, the 5k at 9am, and then some shorter races for kids as the morning progressed.  We found out that some people were completing an "Ultra Looney Challenge" where they would finish the 5k, 10k, and then the 10 mile or full marathon the next day.  I told Philip at least I wasn't that crazy...

I lined myself up at the front of the group as there were tons of people in the race.  When the gun went off, we immediately started trucking up hill...I'd say that most of the first mile was up, BUT as it was an out and back course, I'd get a hefty downhill to the finish line as well.  As the weather was about 40 degrees, it was the first time this year that I'd raced in cooler temps.  I felt good the entire race, but wondered if it would be enough.  All in the matter of a few seconds, I got passed by a female and saw that my finish time was 20:11.  I was a little disappointed once again, but there is always next year.  Besides, there were 26.2 miles tomorrow to get ready for.

Twin Cities Marathon
After attempting to stay off our feet the rest of Saturday (we ended up going to a movie--Gone Girl), we awakened bright and early Saturday morning for what would be my husband's first marathon.  When we signed up last May, we planned on running the event together.  It was tough to stay on board with our marathon training after the 70.3 in August, but Philip and I managed to get through our training runs and arrived to this point injury free and ready for the distance.  After talking about our race plan, we decided that a 4:10 would be a good goal time for Philip's first (and only) full marathon.  Ideally, we would run two back-to-back 2:05 half-marathons.  Our nutrition plan, derived from LOTS of trials and errors on my part, was to take a gel every 4 miles starting at mile 5.  That was the plan.  What could go wrong?

We left our hotel about 5:45am and headed to another hotel nearly a mile away as shuttle buses were taking runners from the finish line in St. Paul to the start (we were staying by the finish).  This went very smoothly and we found ourselves at the starting area at 6:20am (marathon was slated to start at 8am).  Having lots of time to kill, we walked over to the start of the 10 mile event and watched those guys get ready for their race and eventually take off. Cool to see.  We then made one more stop at the port-o-potties and headed to our corral.  The race was divided into three starting corrals and you were placed according to speed.  Philip and I both qualified for the first corral so were able to start right up front.  However, once the gun went off, starting the first group, we had a tough time holding ourselves back as it seemed like literally everyone was passing us by.  I wasn't feeling as great as I'd hoped those first few miles and became increasingly nervous as time went on.  Philip noted this and kept asking if I was okay.  I was...BUT I have done enough of these races to know how bad it can get if things blow up.  Please don't blow up.  Please don't blow up.  We went through 13.1 in 2:05, perfectly on pace.  By the time I hit mile 15, I started to feel better mentally.  Physically, I still didn't feel the best, but at this point in the race, that was okay.  As the next few miles ticked away, I started to feel stronger and much more confident.  (And in case you are wondering how Philip felt, he felt great the entire time.  Well, at least until mile 23.  But that is pretty normal.)  By the time we went through miles 24 and 25, I knew that we were going to be right on our time goal of 4:10.  As we went through the finish, I saw that our time was 4:10:24.  We walked through the chute, got our medal, a mylar blanket, and some chocolate milk.  We then got a couple finisher's pictures and looked around to find where we went to get our shirt (only official finishers get a shirt at TCM).  We rested for a little bit, and then hauled our sore but accomplished bodies back to our hotel to get cleaned up and head home to our boys.

I still have a couple races left this fall, but this event closed out the two BIG events that my husband and I trained for this year.  I felt good that we were able to accomplish both the half-iron and marathon in the midst of a difficult year, but a little sad it was all over.  And I still have big goals for the marathon distance.  Those goals will have to wait for another year.  For now, I am so very thankful for a body that allows me to put it through such rigor without much argument, and an extremely supportive husband and family--without them, there is absolutely no way that I'd be able to do this.

Cheers, friends.  I'll be seeing lots of you next week at Market to Market.  WRN is ready to race! :)



Complete results to both races can be found here: http://www.mtecresults.com/race/show/2568/2014_TC_5K-5K
http://www.mtecresults.com/race/show/2569/2014_Medtronic_Twin_Cities_Marathon-Marathon

Race Report: Harvest Moon Hustle

Philip and I pre-race

I love racing 5k's....it's probably my favorite distance to race.  It hurts for the time I'm running (because I'm running HARD), but it's over in about 20 minutes. So when it came time to sign up for the Harvest Moon Hustle and I had to pick between a 5k and a 10k, it was a no-brainer for me.  5k all the way!

Several of my WRN teammates were also racing, but we were split up between the two distances.  Ann and Amy were racing the 10k while Christy, Kylie, and I were doing the 5.  My husband was also running the 10k, so I picked him up when he got off work in Lincoln and headed to Elmwood.  We parked, got our packets, and found our friends.  The 10k was slated to begin at 6:50, with the 5k beginning 5 minutes after.  I guess there was some issues with the timing mats, so it started a little late for the people running the shorter distance.  Kylie and I chatted as we waited for our race to begin.

The race started with a slight downhill before turning onto the trail for an out and back race.  Although the race directors cleared walnuts off the trail prior to the event, it was hard to get all of them off as the leaves were also falling (fall race--obviously no way around this)...with the marathon next weekend and Market to Market the week after, I was praying that I didn't twist an ankle.  I felt decent the whole race, but felt like I was working pretty hard and didn't think I could go much faster.  I wasn't sure how fast I ran and I was sans watch and the time clock wasn't going at the finish, but found out later I ran 20:14.  I have to say that I was a little disappointed with this...it seems like every time I run a 5k, I do it somewhere between 20:00-20:30...c'mon! I'm itching for a sub-20 and not sure if I'll have another chance this season.

The post-race celebration was so great!  We had a yummy barbecue dinner and had lots of fun laughing now that our work was done.  (Seriously--racing be stressful business!!)  Anyway, great job to Zach and Heidi for another stellar event!

Next up: Twin Cities Marathon.  I'm so excited for a weekend in Minnesota and running with Philip for his first full marathon.  Cheers!

Complete results can be found here:http://www.onlineraceresults.com/event/view_event.php?event_id=14358

Race Report: Freedom Run Half-Marathon

Jess and I post-race 

What a gorgeous weekend! So thankful that I was able to spend this morning running at the Freedom Run in Valley.  When I re-wrote marathon training long runs after not recovering so well after the 70.3, this weekend included a 16.  This fit perfectly with a half-marathon!  I would just need to do 3 more miles before or after...totally do-able.  Here's the problem--I am not in fast half-marathon shape.  When I woke up this morning, I thought that it could be an interesting day.  Philip wasn't racing, so he stayed home with the boys (he'd done his 16 miler on the treadmill the day before).  I planned on meeting WRN teammate Sarah and great friend Jessica there for event.  I was seriously one of the first ones there at 6:45am (race was slated to start at 8:15am), but I wanted ample time to get my pre-race miles in, pick up my packet, use the bathroom 50ish times (y'all know the drill), etc.

I ended up running 30 minutes before the race...I was thinking about doing it after, but figured it would be safer to do it before.  When I finished, I met up with Sarah and waited for Jess.  Sarah and I talked about our goals beforehand--hers 'A' goal was 1:35, 'B' goal 1:40.  I told her that, all things considered, the best I could probably do today was a 1:37, but I was secretly fearful that I would run slower than I did at the half-ironman...I just have not been feeling good lately.

Onto the race.  The course was pancake flat, making it possible for some very quick times.  That is, if you're also good at the mental game of running a (basically) out and back route.  I do not mind these at all, but will admit it was a little tough until the fast guys starting coming back.  (I later heard that the top finishing dude won in 1:04...BLAZING fast!)  Now, keep in mind that I had already run 3+ miles before the race, but around mile 10 or so, I started fading fast.  I wasn't sure of my pace (no watch) and was PRAYING that I was on target for a sub-1:40.  Luckily, I was joined at this point by new friend Nikki...chatting with her about running, work, family, etc. saved me! Who knows how long it would have taken me to get to the finish.  We finished the race together in a time of 1:38:15.  After finishing, I joined Sarah, who ran a new PR of 1:36, and waited for Jessica, who ended up a minute shy of her PR.  Great job, girls!

After the event, we got some refreshments, received a wonderful massage, and waited for awards.  I have to say I suffered a little hit to my pride--I have been so spoiled this year by good races and new PR's that it is a little hard to accept that I ran 7 minutes off my PR at the Lincoln half this past May.  But that is also what makes racing so special--you need bad workouts and races in which you struggle to appreciate the good days...to continually light that fire and drive to be better.  In the end, I am thankful for the ability to run this race on a beautiful day with great friends.  It doesn't get much better.

Complete results can be found here: http://www.onlineraceresults.com/event/view_event.php?event_id=14195

Race Report: Hy-Vee Triathlon

Seriously...look at all those bikes behind us!! :)

The Hy-Vee Triathlon was set to be our last tri of the year.  It also marked a switch from summer racing to fall.  Philip and I signed up for this race way back in February when the registration rates were lowest and well before we knew we'd be shooting for a 70.3.  I was slated to compete as an individual and on a team...basically, my swim would count twice, once for me and once for the team.  Two nights before the race, we got the news that the race would be changed from an Olympic distance to a sprint due to flooding on the course.  LOTS of people were disappointed, but at least the event was not cancelled.  We left our home Saturday morning and drove to Omaha to pick up my sister and her husband.  We arrived at the expo mid afternoon, attended the pre-race meeting, and picked up our race packets.  I was a little unsure about how much race would be conducted since I would have two of everything so I talked to a race official about this.  Basically, I would wear a timing chip on both ankles, the relay's on the right and mine on the left.  Instead of starting with my age group, I would start with the relay swimmers.  Then I would head into the relay transition area to hand the timing chip off to our biker before getting ready for my ride.  After figuring everything out there, we headed to the race site at Gray's Lake in Des Moines to drop our bikes off.  After a yummy dinner at Noah's Ark, we turned in early to get ready for race morning.

Sunday morning we arrived at the transition area around 6am.  We didn't start our race until after 9am, but because the pro race started so early, transition was closing at 6:45am.  It wasn't too bad though, as we got to watch the pro race...Philip and I stood right by their transition area and watched them race in on their bikes and take off for their run.  Very cool.  We both said that it made us want to be better athletes! 

Swim-15:34

We headed over to the other side of the lake where we'd start our swim a little after 8.  Because so many athletes were competing in this event (I think I heard something about 5000??), they were conducting the start as a time trial, with age groups were starting 4 minutes apart. This means that they line up six people in an age group, start them, and then 10 seconds later the next group starts.  My swim went so well! I ran into the water and got right to it...no panic symptoms!  As always, it's hard to dodge other swimmers and at one point, a guy ran into me.  I accidentally kicked him try to get away from him.  As the swim was only a 750, it was over relatively quickly. I finished in 15:34.

T1-3:16

As I exited the water, I heard my brother-in-law cheering for me.  (It's so nice when friends and family are out there supporting you...thanks, Josh!!)  I headed over to relay transition...HOLY cow, there were TONS of people there! One girl stopped right in front of me at the entry way, and because it was so crowded, I had a hard time getting around her.  A race official tried to get her to move, but I think she was a little disoriented from her swim.  Rick (our biker) spotted me, I handed him the chip, and off we both went.  At my transition area, I threw down my cap and goggles, put on my shoes and socks, put my jersey on, then sunglasses, and helmet.  I grabbed my bike and headed out onto the course. (Okay, so this still isn't that fast...but the relay transition did substantially add on to T1.)

Bike- 38:22

The bike course was two loops totally a 20k (12.5 miles).  The roads were closed to traffic so the cyclists had an entire 3 lanes in which to race...this was a first for me! Triathlons that I have competed in have you riding on the shoulder and are open to cars, but typically patrolled by police to make sure everyone is safe.  The course wasn't too hilly and I felt good on the bike.  

T2-1:50

With so many athletes competing, this was a very big transition area.  I raced back to my spot, racked my bike, took a quick gel and swig of gatorade, then ran off.  As I headed out to the run course, I attached my race belt and number and put my visor on.  Off I went.

Run- 21:37

Because of the changes, this was a weird course...it was out and back for first mile and half, then a loop (which ran by the finish) for the second portion...all in just a 5k! As I ran out, other runners were coming back so I got to see lots of people.  I got to see Philip twice on the run which is always fun :)  I still felt fine at this point, but I was having a hard time switching gears and running hard and fast.  The finish line was very cool, but extremely congested.  I found Philip and we waited for Emilie (she started in the heat behind mine).  We found out that we all finished within a minute and a half of each other!!

Final time (individual): 1:20:37--I've only raced an "official" sprint race one other time, but my time from 2011 was 1:30...nearly a 10 minute PR!! :)  I finished as 30th overall woman and 8th in my age group.  As I'm a pretty competitive person, this is not where I'd like to be.  Hopefully I'm able to make some changes so my place will be higher next year.

Final time (relay): 1:12:20--my teammates raced so well!! :)  I always love doing team events and look forward to competing in M2M NE with my Women Run Nebraska teammates! 

Complete Results can be found here: http://www.hy-veetriathlon.com/athlete-information/Race-Results.aspx#/results:&AthleteSearch=(Enter%20Name,%20Bib%20No.,%20or%20City)&Division=Women:1409535547149

Race Report: IRONMAN STEELHEAD 70.3

Philip and I pre-race

Whoosh! Can't believe it's already Tuesday evening...I'm finally getting a second to write about our experience in Michigan this past weekend.  As many of you know, Philip and I have been training for our first half-ironman this summer.  What began in May came to fruition on Sunday: Ironman Steelhead 70.3.

Getting there:  Philip and I both worked on Friday so we weren't able to leave until that evening, making for a late night.  We traveled through Iowa and ended the first portion of our drive in Davenport, Iowa.  Basically, just got there, unloaded our bikes, slept, got up and ate breakfast, and were back on the road.  Friday's time on the interstate moved very quickly, but Saturday's was a different story.  It took FOREVER to get around Chicago, geesh! Stand still traffic on the interstate? No thank you! We finally made it to our destination, Benton Harbor, around noon.  We decided to get checked in, get rid of our bikes (you can leave them in transition overnight), and then check out the town and find a good place for dinner.  Check in went well.  We got our race packet, timing chip, body marked, and tucked our bikes in for the rest of the day/night.  After this, we walked back to the car and made our way downtown to a little farmer's market.  We didn't end up staying too long as we'd already been on our feet for substantially longer than we had hoped.  We checked into our hotel, keeping it classy at a Super 8. Philip and I then got all of our gear organized--wetsuit, goggles, swim cap, helmet, race belt, sunglasses, shoes, compression socks, race outfit, hydration, nutrition...seriously.  The list goes on and on for the amount of gear you need for one of these suckers.  I even made myself a T1 and T2 checklist so I wouldn't forget anything.  This was too long of a race to mess anything up.  And the amount of food you need to consume during an event such as this? Wowza.  My plan was this: A bagel with peanut butter and jelly for breakfast, a honey stinger and lots of pedialyte before the swim, a PB&J sandwich after the swim followed by the rest of the pedialyte, lots of gatorade during the bike portion, and a couple of Gu's plus more hydration during the run.  I talked to a couple of my triathlon friends about this and combined some of their ideas together with what I thought would work for me.  So, all that being said, here is what really went down:

Philip and I went to bed at 7:30 the night before as our alarms were set for 4am...but as we were in a different time zone, this was OUR 3am.  I shockingly fell asleep and woke up feeling great at 4.  I ate my cold PB&J bagel (so gross when you're not hungry) and drank some coffee and then pedialyte (that stuff is yucky, too). We drove to the shuttle pick up point, parked, and hopped on the bus that quickly filled with many others who were just as crazy as us.  Upon arriving to the race site, Philip and I assembled our transition areas and then got ready for the mile walk to the start (the 1.2 mile swim ended where all of our gear was).  Since we didn't want to walk that far wearing our wetsuits, we carried them with us to the start.  Once we got there, we both finagled them on.  I took my timing chip off my ankle in order to get the suit on, placing it onto a kayak that was sitting on the beach...obviously with every intention of putting it back on (you can see where this is headed).  Feeling ready, I kissed my handsome hubby goodbye and joined my fellow age groupers.  As I stood there chatting, each heat, starting 4 minutes apart, began the race.   About 5 minutes to my own start, it hit me like a ton of bricks that my timing chip was not on.  OHMYGOSH!!!! This was bad.  Seriously, I put it on one of the kayaks that was going to be out in the water rescuing swimmers!! I sprinted off at top speed, not knowing if the kayak would be there or not.  THANKFULLY it was there...and so was my chip.  I quickly put it back on and ran back to my group with two minutes to spare.  In those last couple minutes, I talked to a lady about her experiences with the distance.  She was very sweet and I enjoyed our brief chat.  It was not time to get down to business.  Now, as I have been dealing with panic attacks in the water for the last couple of years, I have diligently been working on mental toughness and strategies so that I can get through this part.  I'm SO glad that I didn't know how scary it can be to swim in Lake Michigan.  We began the race by swimming a couple minutes straight into the lake before turning and headed the mile back to transition.  The water was cold (67 degrees), but I didn't notice that as much as I did the one foot waves barreling at me.  I had planned to start out doing my breast stroke, which is exactly what I did.  I did this for a bit longer than I had anticipated...I didn't go into freestyle until after I had made my first turn.  So far, so good.  No panic attack.  I learned very quickly that it was best to just keep on swimming, keep on swimming.  Normally, I'll pop my head out to make sure I was going the right direction, but when I did this, I just saw these big waves coming towards me which was a little freaky.  Best to just keep my head down so I was a little more oblivious.  Towards the end of the swim, my feet were so cold that I could no longer feel them and my fingers weren't far off from joining their ranks.  Rats.  Physically, I felt like I could swim for longer, BUT was happy when I saw the turn back into the transition area.

Exiting the water, I ran into transition, found my spot, and tried to peel my wetsuit off.  This took awhile.  Maybe I should have practiced.  (I hate my wetsuit.  I was secretly hoping that the swim wouldn't be wetsuit legal.)  As I was doing this, I was taking giant chomps of my sandwich and guzzling the rest of my pedialyte.  I strapped on my helmet, put on my sunglasses, and then put my compression socks on.  Um, this was not my finest idea.  Those things are hard to put on when your legs are dry, LET ALONE wet.  I was in transition for a really, really long time.  I also put on my race belt with my number so I wouldn't forget this again. Check, check, check.  Everything was done and I was ready for my ride.  Or so I hoped.  Forgetting the fact regarding my history of panic attacks, I am not that bad of a swimmer.  I am typically a good runner. But biking remains my struggle. I don't get this.  I try really hard and feel like I'm going fast, but I guess I'm not.  Tons of tons of people passed me right away.  (They better watch out! I will get them on the run!!!)  Sadly, a couple miles in, I spotted the lady I was speaking with before the swim on the side of the road.  She was surrounded by people and an I heard an ambulance on the way for her.  She obviously crashed her bike, but I wasn't sure of the particulars.  (Oh man.  What if I crashed my bike? How would they alert Philip?  No time for negative self talk.)  Anyway, off I went.  They marked the course every 5 miles, and the first five went by very quickly.  Actually, the entire ride went quickly.  I will admit that I was about ready to get off my bike around mile 40, but was never that tired or in any major pain.  By the time I entered T2, I was almost in tears because I was so happy to get off that thing and onto my run.

This transition was a little quicker.  I took off my biking jersey (I know, not necessary, but I wanted to wear my WRN jersey for the run.), I ate a Gu, drank some gatorade, used the restroom, and literally darted off.  Not even a mile in, a guy said to me, "Please tell me you're doing the relay...you are looking a little too fresh..."  Nope!  I didn't have a running watch going, so wasn't really sure of my pace.  BUT I passed literally tons of people.  I ran as fast as I could the entire time, so yes, I was happy when I only had a few miles left...but I was actually having fun and enjoying myself! Crazy! I thought there would be a point where I would literally hate myself for signing up for such a long event.  But no!  I loved it.  I never hit a wall, so my nutrition/hydration plan must have worked!

I finished the event in 5:48--43:15 on the 1.2 swim, 3:07:10 on the 56 mile bike, and 1:43:47 on the 13.1 mile run.  I was very shocked when I found out that I spent over nine minutes in T1...I knew I wasn't speed demoning through it, but really?! That is terrible.  (My sister and dad, who were tracking me, said that wondered what was going on since I was there for so long...) T2 was around 5 minutes.  Transitions remain an area of improvement for me.  Other than that, I was happy with my first time competing at the distance.  Philip finished the race in 6:07.  I was so happy to be able to see him finish and snap a few pics.  We worked so hard to achieve this goal and I was so proud of him!

After a long couple days of traveling, we picked up our boys from my parent's house, and returned to the real world of work this morning.

Big thanks to my parents, sister, husband, and Carly...without you guys, there is no way I could have done this.  I am so thankful to have such fabulous and supportive family and friends. What a blessing.

Complete results can be found here: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/coverage/athlete-tracker.aspx?race=steelhead70.3&y=2014#axzz3AAz9ZZsJ

Race Report: Cornhusker State Games Triathlon

Yesterday morning, Philip and I competed in our second triathlon of the summer.  The CSG Triathlon takes place at Holmes Lake in Lincoln...I remember doing this race when I was in high school, albeit on a team with my friends in those years.  (I was the swimmer.)  Years ago, this race took place at Branched Oak outside of Lincoln.  I am not sure why this switch took place, but it gives the race a much different feel.

We once again woke up to a beautiful morning.  Seriously, what is up with July? Yes, we've had some hot days, but all in all, it's been great for summer racing.  We left our home at 5:40am and headed into Lincoln with all of our gear.  We always pack for triathlons the day before because you need so much gear...swim cap, goggles, helmet, sunglasses, gatorade, gu, race belt, visor...  Philip and I pack everything in a large bucket.  That way, after we unload everything in transition, we can flip it over and sit on it while we are switching events during the race.  By the time we had gotten our chips, swim caps, and body markings at the race site, we took our bikes to transition.  Maybe we should have left earlier, because all that was left (in Philip's words) were the "cheap seats"...we were as far as you could be from the bike mounting area.

Our main goal for the race was to have a positive experience in the water.  My plan was to start off to the side, breast stroke for a bit, and then move into freestyle for the 500 meter swim.  When I started with the other females in the second heat, this is what I did.  And you know what?! The swim went great!  I felt good the whole time and never felt "panicky"!  This was a great confidence booster for Ironman Steelhead. (I had two nightmares last week about the open water swim in Michigan.)  I must had done alright, because the majority of the bikes were still in transition when I exited the water.  Philip had beat me out of the lake so we talked briefly before he headed out on his bike.

Once I began the bike course, which was approximately three four mile loops (12.5 miles total), I shifted my head for my new task.  This was a tricky bike course with all the turns...I have to slow down substantially as I turn (I am not a very daring biker at this point), so was constantly losing and gaining momentum.  The bike portion went smoothly and was over before I knew it.

When I got back to transition, Philip was no where in sight...he must have had a fabulous ride! I pulled off my helmet and sunglasses, drank some gatorade and ate a GU, grabbed my number, and was on my way.  I always bank on a strong run since it's my best event of the three, but it can be tough to gut it out after already swimming and biking.  It seems to me that the majority of triathletes are bikers who swim and run on the side...those who can do all three well are definitely in the minority.  I am a runner who swims and bikes on the side, so I even if I am tired, I need to use the run as my strength.  I felt pretty good and was able to pass lots of people.  The course is an out and back 5k...this was really nice as I was able to watch lots of guys (and some ladies) on their way to the finish.  I saw Philip when he had about a mile left to go...he looked great!

I ended up finishing my race in a time of 1:17 flat...the last time I competed in this race, I did it in 1:19 (granted, this was about two months after Quinn was born).  My swim was in 9:48, the bike was 42:46, and I finished out my 5k in 20:56.  My first transition was a very slow 2:29 (partially attributed to rinsing off my very muddy feet), but T2 was in 1:05 which is better.  I won my age group and placed 6th overall.  After doing five races in July, I am exhausted.  I am so excited to have a weekend off...and then it's time for our 70.3...Ironman Steelhead!  This event (1.2 mile swim, 56 bike, and 13.1 mile run) will be the culmination of our summer's work.  I am very nervous and very excited to be taking on such an endeavor...and couldn't be more excited for a couple days in Michigan with my husband.

I remain very thankful for the ability to compete in events such as this...and having Philip by my side while doing so.  While life has definitely thrown us some challenges, we have much to be thankful for!  Happy swimming, biking, and running!

Complete results can be found here: http://www.onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=41560&re_FN=e.g.+Joe&re_LN=e.g.+Desch&re_NO=e.g.+1946&re_CITY=&re_STATE=&re_DIVISION=F&submit_action=select_result&race_id=41560#racetop

Race Report: Downtown Runaround

I am running the two-mile, Scott!!

I have been running the Columbus Downtown Runaround since I was a teenager.  The race offers two distances: the 2.1 mile run and the 5 mile.  In high school, I always ran the shorter race and moved into the 5 mile through college.  But because of the fact that the race is at the end of July, and thus the temperatures are very hot and humid (i.e. terrible racing conditions), I found myself running horribly in the longer race.  So, several years ago I moved back into the shorter race and have found more success. Okay, okay....I know that most of the real competition signs up for the 5, but how often do I get to duke it out with the teeny-boppers?  I won the race in 2011, but other than that I'm usually in the top 3.  And besides...I had the Omaha Triathlon the next morning so didn't want to completely toast my legs.

I arrived at the race around 7am (race was to start at 8) but quickly found my teammate Angela.  It actually worked out for my folks, husband, and boys to all come cheer, but there was no reason for them to come as early as me.  The 5-milers started their event first, and the 2.1 milers started 5 minutes later.  I started at the front of the group and held the lead for the first mile or so, but then was passed by a youngster.  I tried to stay only a few seconds behind her so I could make a surge later, but as we turned the final corner, she was too far in front for me to realistically do anything.  I ended up finishing the race in 12:44, my best time by probably 30-40 seconds, in second place.  (I think this is 6:04 pace? You can't forget about the extra .1 they tack on to the distance...ha.)

One of the great things about this race is the beer and pizza at the end...well, no beer for me as I was racing again the next day, but this is quite the draw for many of the participants!  The pizza selection is crazy...they order pies from literally every vendor in Columbus! Very fun! Oh...and I must also add that the weather was gorgeous! Another awesome day for a race, which I suppose makes up for some of the rainy races we experienced earlier this year!

Happy Racing and Running!

Complete results can be found here: http://www.onlineraceresults.com/event/view_event.php?event_id=13601

Race Report: Omaha Triathlon

Heading into transition from the swim

Finally! After months of multi-sport work, it was time to compete!  The Omaha Triathlon was our first of four triathlons this summer. (We are also doing Cornhusker State Games, Ironman Steelhead, and Hy-Vee.)  This would also serve as Philip's first real triathlon...we did an indoor tri this past winter, but this particular triathlon is not known to be easy.  The Omaha Triathlon (Olympic distance) consists of a 1.5 kilometer swim (nearly a mile), a 25 mile bike ride, and a 6.2 mile run.

The Swim
As I was on the swim team in high school (making it to state each year I competed), I consider myself to have a decent water background.  I have done open water swimming on several occasions, starting out as a teenager.  I have never found swimming to be particularly difficult and historically, this portion of the tri is where I am least concerned.  However, three years ago, while competing in a triathlon using a wetsuit for the first time, I experienced my first full blown panic attack in the water.  I think the wetsuit must have been too tight and when I started out, I couldn't fill my lungs with air.  My entire body freaked out and thought it was drowning.  I knew in my own mind that I wasn't, but couldn't convince my body otherwise.  Since then, my lungs seize up every time I get into a lake.  In the pool, I am 100% fine.  Open water, no dice.
The swim start was divided into several heats, divided by the different competitions and gender (collegiate, aqua-bike, male, female, sprint). Philip was starting with the male olympic competitors in heat 3 and I was slated for women's olympic in heat 4.  I thought that maybe, as it had been two years, I might be okay in the water.  I had easily done a 40 minute swim at the pool a couple weeks before with no issues.  However, once my heat started, I once again felt the familiar warning signs that has become open water swimming.  Ugh.  I am pretty sure that almost every one of the women I was competing against passed me up in those first few minutes.  I held back, got to the side of the water course, and kept my head above water.  I moved very slowly forward using an inefficient breast stroke.  About 5 minutes into the race, I noticed the rescue kayaks off to the side.  I seriously considered flagging them down and having them drag me back to shore.  But in the back of my mind, I knew that things would be okay if I could just get through the swim.  Finally, I got to the point where I was able to join the race again, this time using a quicker freestyle stroke.  I finished my swim in 34:38 and headed into the transition area.

The Bike
When I returned to my transition spot, I tossed down my swim cap and goggles.  I dried off my feet with my towel and threw on my socks and shoes.  I then grabbed my sunglasses and helmet, slugged some gatorade, ate a Gu, and was on my way.  The Omaha Triathlon boasts a very hilly course and  while I have become much more efficient training in aero, I was unable to do much of this as I was either working really hard to go up a hill or speed down one.  The bike seemed to go by pretty quickly as my brain was working almost as hard as my legs.  I was constantly checking out the road to make sure I wasn't going to hit anything, watching for other bikers, and switching gears depending on whether I was going up or down.  I didn't count, but I was able to pick off lots of people with my modest biking abilities.  As I finished up my bike ride, I was a little nervous to start the run.  I had worked my quads harder than I had expected and wasn't sure how they were going to feel when I started my 10k. I finished the bike portion in 1:33:42. This isn't that fast of a time, so I decided to take my watches off for my run.  At this point, I realized that I was most likely not going to earn a new personal record for the olympic distance.  (A PR for me would be a 2:52.)

The Run
Finishing up the bike ride, I practiced in my mind what I was needing to do in transition.  I needed to take my sunglasses and helmet off, eat another Gu and drink some water, and grab my race belt with my number attached.  I quickly did these things and headed out.  Starting out, I surprisingly felt really good...typically, it takes me about 3 minutes to shake my legs out and switch gears from biking to running.  Almost a mile into the run, I realized that I forgot my race belt.  There was absolutely NO WAY that I was running back to get it.  If they disqualified me, they disqualified me.  I kept going.  Since I realized I was not going to PR, I decided to relax a little bit on the run.  As it was an out and back course, I cheered for everyone I met along the path.  Since my pace was slower than what I usually run a 10k in, I actually enjoyed chatting with other participants and taking in the course, part of which was an off-road trail.  As I came into the finish area, I spotted my friend Matt....his wife typically participates in this race, so he was here cheering for her.  I waved at him and ran through the finish line.  Though the clock said 3:07, I wasn't sure what my finishing time was...I started in the 4th wave so my time would be several minutes faster than this.  However, it would be a push to finish under three hours.  I found out that I ran my 10k in 47:32 and the full race in 2:59:30.  I was the 10th overall female finisher and won my age group.  Even though I didn't earn a new PR, I'll take it.  I can try again next month at the Hy-Vee Tri in Des Moines.

Final Thoughts
Although Philip and I did not race together, it was very uplifting seeing him on the course.  After training solely with him these past several months, it was very cool completing such a tough race together.  I literally almost cried when I saw him on the run course.  That afternoon, after picking up our boys from my sister and bro-in-law's house, Philip and I were able to dissect the race and talk about what we needed to work on.  Our big goal of the summer, Ironman Steelhead, is only a few weeks out...the distance of this race is roughly double what we did today.  The swim was the worst part of the day for both of us, so we discussed techniques so that we would be able to get through the swim without drowning.  (I might be slightly exaggerating, but not by much!)  We both felt very humbled by how many amazing athletes we competed against that morning....the race leaders and such studs in all three endeavors.

Happy Running! (and swimming and biking!!)

Complete Results can be found here: http://www.truetimeracing.com/results.php?id=3218&t=division